


A Displaced Red Robin

by dragonprincess1988



Category: Batman (Comics), Red Robin (Comics), Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Crossover, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-08
Updated: 2020-11-08
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:47:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 69,711
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27446644
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragonprincess1988/pseuds/dragonprincess1988
Summary: Tim gets transported to the cartoon Young Justice world, and he's not sure he knows how to deal with it.
Comments: 125
Kudos: 493





	1. Chapter 1

Tim lands on a rooftop and scans his surroundings. His head feels like it's just been put through a juicer, and he's not as steady on his feet as he would like. He knows this feeling well...they all do. It's how ones body always feels after being transported from one world to another, and the residual effects are always worse when said body didn't have any time to prepare. Tim is really getting sick of the unexpected multiverse travel. It always presents such a multitude of problems, and maybe he would think more on that if he wasn't in the middle of trying to find cover while a Robin comes tumbling through the sky towards him.

He'd know those moves and that smile anywhere. It's Dick in a Robin costume that looks a hell of a lot like something Tim would have worn. That thought puts him even more off balance, but not as much as seeing Kon land on the rooftop behind Robin, shortly followed by M'gann. Tim isn't sure his brain can process the idea of Dick being on a team with a roster full of Tim's friends. After all, he's still trying to cope with seeing Damian work with the Titans...even if it was only for one mission. The multiverse is such a strange place, and he's having trouble thinking. There's a whole slew of questions running through his head, and not a single one of them is helpful to his situation.

After all, wondering if Tim Drake was, or will ever be, born isn't exactly going to help him when Robin's scanners inevitably find him crouched down, hidden behind a dumpster, in the alley below the rooftop he was on moments before. Tim isn't sure how to approach the subject of being a former Robin from a different earth. He isn't even sure if this earth has a protocol for that or not. Hell, Tim doesn't even know how to explain how he got here. He knows the effects of traveling through the multiverse, but there are a dozen things that could have caused his spontaneous multiverse travel. In fact, he really doesn't even know where to begin with that one, so staying hidden for as long as possible until he can figure something out seems like Tim's best bet.

It's obvious just from watching Robin, Superboy, and M'gann move that they aren't used to working as a team, which just seems even odder to Tim. He's never seen Dick not know how to function with a team. It's off-putting and strange, and he's not really sure why Bruce would allow it to continue for more than one interaction. Tim knows that, in his own world, the Bruce who raised Dick isn't the same Bruce who trained him. Both Babs and Dick have made that perfectly clear, but Tim guesses he never really fully understood that until right now; or maybe it's just that this Bruce is a different one entirely, and he himself doesn't know how to work on a team yet. Tim isn't sure, but being lost in his thoughts nearly makes him miss the fact that Superboy is standing behind him looking like he wants to grind Tim into the dirt. That isn't an expression that he's used to seeing directed his way from his friend. Tim doesn't need to try to get away to know that he's already surrounded, but it doesn't stop him from wanting to try.

"Who are you, and what do you want?" Robin steps closer to him, clearly reaching for something in his utility belt, and Tim has to remind himself that these aren't his friends, and that isn't his older brother.

Tim has no idea what he's going to say to them, but with the way that they're all glaring at him, he thinks that it might be a good idea to start talking. As he moves out of his crouch, he holds his hands up in the air where everyone can see them. "Look, it's hard to explain, but I'm not your enemy."

Kid Flash zooms past him, and skids to a stop beside Robin. "I don't know. You seem really heavily armored for a friendly." Tim can tell just by the way that he's standing that this Kid Flash isn't Bart, which shouldn't make Tim breathe easier, but does all the same.

Tim doesn't mention that he's always been the most heavily armored out of all of the Bat family and all of his friends, especially since he would then have to explain the term Bat family. He's trying to come up with the simplest and quickest explanation for his sudden appearance, but before he gets a chance to tell them anything Aqualad appears from out the shadows behind Kid Flash and Robin. The two of them slide apart to allow Aqualad to get closer to him. "Not to mention whatever means you used to get here caused such a large energy spike that three city blocks are now out of power."

Tim sighs to himself. "Yeah, sorry about that. Multiverse travel always comes with a few unexpected complications."

"What the heck is multiverse travel?" Kid Flash glances at his companions to see if they're as lost as he is, which really isn't making Tim feel any better. With the exception of Robin, who still has his game face on, they're all staring at him as though he's speaking another language.

Tim doesn't see a point in explaining it if he doesn't have to, so instead of answering Kid Flash's question, Tim locks his eyes with Robin's, and ignores the fact that he's taller than Dick, and how absolutely wrong that is. "Robin, Batman has a protocol for this, right? You've heard of multiverse travel, but thought it was just another one of Batman's crazy 'what-if' scenarios, right?" Tim tries to keep the desperation out of his voice, but there's no telling how long he'll be stuck here if they really don't have any knowledge of the multiverse.

Tim isn't sure how old Dick is. He looks about 13, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything. Tim wonders if Dick can tell exactly where his eyes are locked onto his from behind the mask...if he can tell how much Tim is desperately hoping for some good news here...if he can read Tim's expression despite the cowl. Tim can tell that Dick's eyes flash to the others surrounding him, before settling back on Tim. "We should call Batman." It's the only response he's going to get, and Tim's okay with that.

Aqualad turns back towards Robin, but not before giving Superboy a signal that clearly means watch the new guy, which Tim understands. He'd actually be rather insulted right now if they weren't at least mildly wary of him. However, that still doesn't mean that he's comfortable with seeing Kon staring at him as though he's only mere moments from breaking every bone in Tim's body. "We should handle this ourselves." Aqualad seems truly annoyed with the prospect of calling Batman, which...it's Batman, so that makes sense to Tim, at least a little.

Robin shakes his head. "I don't think so...not this time."

Kid Flash gets between the two of them. "Is anyone going to answer my question? What the heck is multiverse travel? Who the heck is this guy? And what does he want?"

Robin glares at Kid Flash. "Look, it's just one of Batman's theories. I don't even know if it's possible, or..."

Before Robin can finish his sentence, M'gann slides closer to the group. "I could find out, if you want?"

"You mean read his mind." Superboy seems really annoyed with that plan. Although, Tim isn't sure why.

Aqualad gives a curt nod, and M'gann steps closer to him. Tim is well versed with the sensation of someone trying to read his mind, and while he could use what he's learned from Bruce to keep her out, he knows that it's just easier and more expedient to let her in. However, that doesn't mean that he's going to give her an all access pass to his mind. After a few minutes she moves away from him. "He's from a different earth. He doesn't know how he got here, and all he wants is to go back to his own world."

Robin folds his arms over his chest, and glares. "That's not good enough. How do we know that he isn't a bad guy back in his world? What's his name?"

M'gann looks really reluctant to speak, but after a few moments she whispers. "He was trained by the Batman in his world. I couldn't get his name, but he did let me know that he goes by Red Robin. Also, he didn't reveal what it is, but he made it clear that, if that wasn't enough for you, he knows your name Robin...your real name."

Robin stares at him like he's suddenly grown two heads. "That's it! We're calling Batman."

Kid Flash glares at Robin. "I thought we decided that Aqualad was the leader."

Tim blinks a few times at that, because...well, that's just interesting. It's not as though he hasn't noticed the subtle hints, and didn't recognize that clearly Aqualad is the leader of this team, but it's still peculiar to have a Robin on the team, and not have him be the leader at some point or another. Although, it's not that outlandish considering everything that's been going on back on his own earth. Robin glances at Aqualad with a pleading expression, and Aqualad nods. "Robin, go contact Batman. Superboy keep a close watch on our new guest. M'gann contact Red Tornado, and let him know that we found the source of the power outage. Kid, find out how long it's going to take to return power to the effected areas, and make sure that everyone has enough supplies to get through the blackout."

The team disperses, and Tim feels a little admiration for Aqualad. He's clearly a good leader, despite it being obvious that he hasn't led this team for long. It's interesting watching the dynamic of this team. Everyone is so much like their counterparts on his world, and yet so different. Tim still isn't sure how to deal with Superboy. He doesn't know how long this version has been around...doesn't know how much this one has learned about himself yet. It's tempting to ask, and maybe even tell him a few things that might save this team from some of the stuff that Tim's team had gone through, but there's no way of knowing if that stuff will even happen here. Clearly, this world varies greatly from his own.

It doesn't take long, all things considered, for the team to meet up after accomplishing their individual assignments. Robin is standing by Aqualad, glaring at Tim. Tim would laugh if he didn't think that it'd get him a batarang thrown at his head. "Batman said to bring him back to HQ, and he'd meet us there."

The entire team is tense, and no one is happy with this plan. Everyone looks about two seconds away from trying to take him down, which Tim completely understands. Each and every one of them keeps their distance, and seems to be extremely wary of him. He's well aware that it's probably the cowl and the armor, but it still makes him feel a little awkward. He's not used to seeing non-criminals look at him like that. "Sorry guys, it's not like this is what I had planned for my Saturday either." He tries to lighten the mood, which is just strange, because that's one) Robin's job and two) Dick's job, and there happens to be a Dick Grayson/Robin sitting three seats away from him, so Tim isn't sure why he's even trying.

When they get to what this teams calls HQ, Robin has to hack the systems in order to allow Tim inside. It takes Robin thirty seconds longer than it would have taken Tim, which he finds fascinating, and yet expected...given that the Dick on his world is completely capable of everything Tim can do with computers he just doesn't enjoy it the way Tim does, and Tim is almost always faster. When they manage to get inside, Tim isn't surprised to find Batman there, waiting for them. He doesn't even bother addressing the team. Instead, he heads straight over to interrogate Tim, which is predictable. "How did you get here?"

There's about ten different answers Tim could give for that one question, but he's fairly certain that giving curt responses will probably yield the best results. "No idea."

Batman glares at him disbelievingly. "What are your primary objectives?"

Tim wants to roll his eyes, and tell Batman to do this in private, that way, they can get to the questions Bruce really wants to ask, but goes with the current pace of the interrogation anyway. "Getting home."

Batman is quiet for a moment before speaking again. "How old are you?"

Tim is caught off-guard by the question. He doesn't think that it's something that his Bruce would ever ask, and he's not really sure why this one did. "Seventeen."

Batman looms over him a little more, and Tim just stares at him. He got used to the intimidating Bat glare years ago. "You're not afraid of me."

It's not a question, but Tim answers anyway. "No, I'm not."

Batman grunts, and Tim almost smirks, but catches himself. He forgot how much fun it can be to confuse people just by being. "Stay here until we figure out what to do with you."

Tim nods once, but he's well aware of what that order actually means. It's 'stay here until we verify that you aren't a threat.' He really wants to ask if Bruce has any idea how to send him home, but Tim doesn't want to be disappointed so soon, so he simply watches with the rest of the team as Batman walks away. When Tim turns around to face the rest of them, Kid Flash is in his face. "I don't trust you."

Tim simply nods. "Quite frankly, I'd be disappointed if you did."

Kid Flash moves away from him after that, clearly confused by the statement. Robin looks him over for a moment. "Well, one thing's for certain...you were definitely trained by a Batman."

M'gann stares at him, but doesn't seem to want to interact with him, and that's just fine with Tim. The fewer people he has to deal with, the better. He just wants to go back home where at least, when things don't make sense, he has some chance of figuring them out. Here everything is just different, which just means it's a new form of complicated. Tim really didn't think that he needed his life to become any more complicated than it normally is...and has been for a while. Aqualad left the room the moment he got the chance, which Tim thinks is odd for the leader to do, but he's already seen plenty of evidence to suggest that this team isn't really much of a team at all...yet, anyway. Superboy is still keeping close to him, and still seems like he's only moments away from dismantling Tim. It's more disconcerting than he thought it would be, but it's not something that Tim is incapable of dealing with.

When he moves, each of them stops and stares. Robin immediately moves into a defensive posture, Superboy clenches his fists, and Kid flash gets ready to run. It almost makes Tim laugh, because all he did was shift from one foot to the other. This team is very jumpy, so Tim decides to pick a nice defensive spot on the floor and start meditating. He hopes Batman has started on plans to get him home, but Tim doubts it's going to be easy.

After an hour of meditation, with Superboy staring daggers at him, Tim shifts his left shoulder. It hurts from whatever hit him before he was transported to this earth, but he's managed to ignore the pain until now. Superboy sits down in front of him. "What are you doing?"

Tim glances at him as he rolls his shoulder. "Well, I was mediating, but my shoulder is acting up."

Superboy stares at him blankly for a moment, before his expression shifts into something else, and Tim knows that expression well...he's seen it on Kon's face more times than he can count. Superboy wants to ask Tim something, but he isn't sure if he should. Tim's so used to this type of behavior that without even thinking he sighs out loud. "What do you want to ask me, Conner?"

The name just slips out, especially since it's been awhile since Tim has been in a situation where he needed to call Conner anything else. Tim really wants to hate himself, but doesn't really have time to, before he's being slammed against a wall. "What? What did you just call me?"

Tim gasps out a breath, and tries to calm the kid down. "Sorry, I'm just used to hanging out with my Superboy...slipped...sorry." The arm against his throat presses down a little harder, and Tim is seriously going to start seeing dark spots soon if he doesn't get any air. This Superboy clearly isn't used to pulling his strength, which is extremely problematic for Tim right now.

After a few moments Superboy drops him on the ground, before Tim can pass out. "So, there's a Superboy on your world, and he...he has a name?"

Tim shakes his head trying to clear the blurry vision, and barely registers the question. "What? Yeah, of course..." And that's when it dawns on Tim that this Superboy really is new, and doesn't even have a name other than Superboy yet. Tim feels like he just cheated this boy out of something, and he wants to apologize, but before he can Superboy steps away from him, and mutters a small apology. Tim wants to tell him that he doesn't have anything to apologize for, but he can't really get enough air into his lungs yet.

Robin steps closer to him as Superboy retreats out of the room. "What was that all about?"

Tim just stares at him for a moment, and tries to remember that he's only one misstep away from being considered the enemy here. Tim shakes his head slightly. "I...I think I just accidentally told him his name."

Tim isn't really sure what response that's supposed to get him, but he doesn't expect the confused pout that Robin flashes him. "What do you mean?"

Tim sighs to himself. Dick has never really been good at masking his emotions, and Tim certainly didn't think a younger Dick Grayson would be any better...even one from such a different world. But it's still frustrating to see it this close and without a camera lens between him and those expressions. Tim really doesn't want to tell them anymore than he already has, but after that lovely screw-up, he feels compelled to fill Robin in at least a little bit. "On my world, Superboy is one of my best friends, and we call him Conner." Tim isn't about to tell anyone here where that name came from or anything else. After all, the day Kon got his name was one of the best days of his life, and Tim isn't about to take that away from this Superboy anymore than he already has.

Robin stares at him, and Tim is pretty sure that he's blinking rapidly behind the mask. "So, it's confirmed then...you really are one of the good guys."

Tim just nods, and doesn't mention how that doesn't mean anything, especially since he's seen a future where that really wasn't the case. However, now really isn't the best time to be thinking about that future, or really anything other than getting home. He just hopes that this Bruce is as paranoid as his own, and has a reason to work quickly in order to get Tim home, as opposed to wanting to learn more from him, and thus taking his time with finding the right earth and such. The last thing Tim wants is to be here longer than strictly necessary, so that Batman can interrogate him more thoroughly. He's almost starting to miss dealing with Damian just because it's easier than dealing with these people.

Tim pulls himself out of his reverie enough to notice that Robin is still focusing on him, and generally looking like he wants more information...information that Tim isn't willing to give. Before Robin can even make an attempt to ask him something invasive Tim heads him off and tries not to think about how good he is at that from doing it so often with his own Dick. "Is there any chance I could talk to Batman more? I could probably help with the plan to get me back home. I only have a rudimentary understanding of the physics needed, but it's better than nothing."

Robin laughs at him. If he wasn't Dick, Tim might actually respond to it with more than just a raised eyebrow. "First, you have to be the only person who actually wants to spend more time with Batman, and second, I can tell that you're raising an eyebrow under that cowl and it's creepy."

Tim shrugs slightly. "I'm told that often."

Robin smiles at him sharply. "I'm sure you do. You remind me of him, you know?"

"Of Bru...I mean, Batman? Yeah, I know. I'm told that often, too." Tim mentally berates himself for that slip-up too. He doesn't know why he's having so many problems keeping things compartmentalized. It's not normally this difficult, but well...dealing with Dick always adds too many degrees of difficulty to any situation. Tim feels as though the fact that it's apparently universal, and age doesn't seem to matter, should have been predictable-and he's already adjusting his mental notes to account for such dilemmas in the future-but that's not helping him deal with his current situation.

Robin gives him that 'I should be on high alert' expression again. "Wait, you know Batman's name, too?"

Tim just nods, and tries to ignore the tension headache that's steadily increasing in intensity. "Yeah, I've known it for longer than he's known I've existed, but that's a long story."

Robin scrutinizes him for a moment, before his entire face softens and brightens into a blinding smile. "Well, if you're here long enough, and Batman doesn't use you as a practice dummy, I'd like to hear it." Before Tim gets a chance to respond Robin leaves the room.

Tim just stares at the back of Robin's retreating form, and doesn't say anything. He doesn't have any intention of telling anyone here anything more than he needs to. Although, he's been failing pretty miserably at that for the entire day, so he's not really sure what good having that conviction will do him. He wouldn't be himself if he didn't at least try...right? If Dick...his Dick was here, he'd be mocking Tim for his stunning lack of composure, and asking where the kid who can lie to Batman is-and Tim really wouldn't have an answer for him. Tim has no idea why being here and dealing with everyone is so difficult for him. He feels like he's falling off a building without a jump line and can't get enough air into his lungs to even call for help. It's disconcerting, and a new kind of vertigo-one that he doesn't know how to deal with-and it's leaving him feeling raw and open in a way that he doesn't know how to deal with.

All Tim has is the vain hope that this Bruce will somehow manage to find a way to get him back home before something far more disastrous than a minor power outage can happen. After all, spontaneous multiverse travel usually precedes something on the world-ending side of the terrible crisis spectrum, and Tim would much rather be on his own earth if he's going to have to deal with something of that scale. Right now, however, all Tim can do is wait, and try not to screw-up anymore than he already has while he's stuck on this earth with this team. Normally that goal wouldn't seem so unattainable, but Tim is pretty sure that he's allowed to give himself a break...especially after everything that's been going on in his life lately. He really misses Dick right now, and can't help but feel like he'd be handling this entire situation far better than Tim is. Tim wants to go home, and he has no idea when he's going to stop sounding like Dorthy, but it'd be nice if it could happen sooner rather than later. He just can't help missing what this world doesn't have, and, in this immediate instance, that's his older brother.

The End


	2. Chapter 2

He's been here a week, and he's starting to go stir crazy. He hasn't been allowed to leave the HQ, but that's typical procedure, so Tim isn't all that annoyed about that aspect of his imprisonment-and he can't really call it anything else. There is someone watching him at all times, and it's really starting to get annoying. Right now he's being watched by Superboy, who is better than the others, because Superboy doesn't seem to be very talkative, nor does he seem to want to ask Tim questions. But Tim still needs his alone time, and he's gone a week with virtually none.

He gets to spend his time training, reading, or generally being bored out of his mind, and through it all, there's always someone there keeping an eye on him. M'gann at least tries to be friendly with him, but it's clear that she's just as socially awkward as he is. Kaldur spends most of his time watching Tim, wanting to ask him questions, but keeping them to himself for one reason or another. Wally-and it didn't take Tim long to figure out which Flash he was, even if M'gann did let the others names slip-spends his time glaring at Tim and generally being annoying in the way that most speedsters are when they're bored. It'd be fun to mock him for certain things if it didn't remind Tim so much of Bart. And that just makes him miss his own world.

He hasn't seen Batman once since his initial conversation with him (if that could be called a conversation) and all requests to speak to the man have yielded no results. Tim guesses he should just be happy that someone was considerate enough to bring him civvies to wear, because even he would have a problem wearing the same suit for an entire week. Robin was also kind enough to lend him a mask and a pair of highly reflective sunglasses to conceal his identity. It's a gesture of friendship, really, and it's so strange for Dick of all people to be that subtle when Tim's so used to blinding smiles and full-body hugs. This Dick Grayson just isn't as open or as physical contact driven as Tim's Dick is, and it all just seems so very wrong.

This Robin is still in need of physical contact. It's just that this Dick seems to get that physical contact in far more subtle and stealthy ways than Tim's Dick ever did. He uses training exercises, spars, and fights to get the contact that he so desperately needs, and if Tim was a different person, perhaps a better person, he'd find ways to convince this team to be more open with each other, so that Dick didn't have to pretend that every hit he took was just a lucky shot. It's disconcerting in ways that Tim never really fully considered, and the fact that Bruce hasn't noticed-or more importantly done something about it-is even more worrisome.

It doesn't really matter, though, because there's nothing that he can do about it, and worrying about all of that stuff certainly isn't going to get him home any sooner. He needs to talk to this Bruce, and find out how long it's going to take, or if it's even possible to send him back. Tim doesn't like to think about what will happen if they can't get him home. On the one hand, it's not like he's really needed back home. After all, there are plenty of people willing and able to protect Gotham, and he's pretty sure that, if he was forced to stay here indefinitely, he'd be able to leave the damn headquarters once in awhile. On the other hand, it still fills him with an overwhelming sadness at the possibility of never seeing the people he knows and loves again. Tim shudders at the thought, and he's not sure if it's because of his own fear or due to his memory of what this Dick does to the English language on a regular basis. Still he knows it could be worse. He could be stuck listening to 'holy' jokes all of the time, so Tim figures he should just be grateful for that, at least.

When he gets off the couch to get a glass of water, Superboy follows him with his eyes until he returns to his seat. They've worked out a system, so that Superboy-and sometimes it's so hard not to refer to him as Kon or Conner-doesn't have to get up every time Tim simply moves. When Tim's going to leave the room he gives Superboy a hand signal, and the two of them walk in companionable silence to Tim's next destination. Tim's also just happy that he gets to sleep without someone watching...well, other than the security cameras, but he's used that.

Tim's gotten tired of pretending to watch television, and he's pretty sure that Superboy isn't really watching it either, so he gives the hand gesture, and heads for the library. Superboy seems to enjoy the library just as much as Tim does. He doesn't always read while they're there, but he seems to enjoy the quiet solitude, and just generally being away from the others as much as Tim does. Sometimes, if Tim's found something to read that he knows his Conner would have enjoyed, he gives it to Superboy, and tells him that it just seems like something he might like. So far, Tim's found a few things that Superboy didn't seem completely bored with while reading, which he thinks is something-but he doesn't know for sure. It's not like they really talk, and Tim's not even sure if it's possible to actually talk with anyone here. The only person he would feel comfortable enough with telling anything won't see him for whatever reason. Tim doesn't know why Batman's ignoring him, but he can tell that the man is, and there's really no way on any earth to get a Batman to stop ignoring you short of calling in Alfred, and Tim's pretty sure that that would just be impossible, messy, and probably an all-around bad idea.

The two of them settle down on opposite sides of the room. Tim has subtly been looking for higher level physics books while he's been doing some leisure reading, but so far he hasn't found anything that even looks slightly helpful to getting him home. Superboy mostly just watches him read, when he isn't reading himself. Today seems to be a reading day, however, since Superboy has picked up an Encyclopedia of Science. Tim raises his eyebrow, but doesn't say anything. That seems to be something Tim would more interested in than Superboy, but the boy settles down on the floor with his legs folded underneath him and starts reading, so Tim figures he's probably just trying to learn more about the world around him. Tim picks his book up again, and resumes reading. They aren't there long, before they're both called to back the main room by Red Tornado.

Tim's hoping for some type of news about his current situation, so when he walks into the room to find Black Canary there staring at them with an extremely commanding expression, it's a bit of an understatement to say that he's surprised. She nods to Superboy, and gives him the tiniest of smiles as a greeting, before turning back to him. "Batman wants me to spar with you today." It's obvious from the way that she's looking at him that she thinks that this is a bad idea, and really didn't readily agree to this. Tim has to wonder how Bruce managed to convince her...or maybe he just ordered her to do as she was told. Tim doesn't know, but he really wants to find out.

He doesn't say anything to her. He hasn't had that many dealings with the Black Canary back on his world, all things considered, nor has he really sparred with her all that much, either, so he can't even begin to postulate why this Batman defers to her for the team's training. Tim nods to her and moves into a ready position. He's in a pair of sweats and a t-shirt. He has on one of Robin's masks, and his belt is hidden under the waistband of the sweats. He hasn't been comfortable enough to walk around this place without it-or his boots, for that matter-so at least Tim knows he won't get too damaged if this spar somehow turns into a real fight. So many of his spars so often do, but that's with the people back on his own world, and, more often than not, those people are some definition of family, so he's reasonably sure that it won't be an issue.

They start off the spar by testing each other. It's clear from her posture that she expects him to make rookie mistakes...mistakes that children make-mistakes that these children often make, and it's tempting to just go with that-to pretend to be less knowledgeable than he really is, but he can't. He knows that this is just as much of a test from her as it is from Batman-possibly even more so, since it was his idea in the first place-and it doesn't matter which earth he's on, which Batman is testing him, or anything else. If he's facing a test from any Batman, he has to give his all, because anything less would be unacceptable. He doesn't expect her to fight like the Black Canary from his world. After everything that he's seen to prove that none of these people are really all that much alike to their counterparts on his world, it would just be silly to expect her to fight the same way. So, instead of treating her like Black Canary, he treats her as though she's a completely new opponent, because she basically is.

He dodges a strike that he's seen his own Batman use countless times, which is intriguing to say the least, and then he gets into a defensive position. He's letting her control the spar-for now. After all, it's far too tempting to find out what else she's learned from Batman. She feigns a punch to his face, and goes for a sweep, which reminds him a little too much of Dick right now. Tim back flips away from the sweep, and then rolls out of the way of her elbow. "You're letting me dictate the fight."

Before she can finish her lecture he spins and kicks out. "That's what you think." He already knows that she's going to slide out of the way of it and go for a grab just by the way that she's standing, and suddenly Tim is missing Cassandra a whole hell of a lot right now. He lets Canary grab him, and when she tosses him, Tim uses the momentum to turn in midair, and throws three batarangs. He lands perfectly, pulls a smoke pellet out, and throws it so that it lands just in front of her feet. The entire training area fills with smoke, and Tim smirks to himself. "Still think that you're the one dictating this fight?" He waits for her to attack the place he was when he spoke, and then moves.

He tosses another batarang to distract her, too high and to the left, and then he goes for a sweep. It's not surprising when she hits the ground hard, and then Tim's on top of her, and has her pinned perfectly. He's about to call the spar over when he's suddenly yanked off of her, and thrown against a wall. Superboy has his arm across Tim's neck again pressing down hard, and all Tim can think is that someone needs to talk to this boy about controlling his strength, because there's no air getting in or out of Tim's lungs right now, and if he wasn't trained by a Batman he'd be blacking out right about now.

"It's okay. Let him go. It was just a spar, and he was just doing what he was taught to do." Black Canary has her hand on Superboy's shoulder, clearly trying to tug his arm away.

Superboy glances back at her before glaring back at Tim. "He used tricks."

Black Canary nods at him very patiently, and Tim kind of wants to hate her right now, because he still can't breathe. "Yes, he did, but to be honest, I was treating him like an untrained child, and that wasn't fair of me. He was simply teaching me a lesson."

Superboy lets him go, but looks like he still really wants to hit Tim or possibly just choke him to death. "But, you're the mentor, so he shouldn't be trying to teach you anything."

She shakes her head at him, and smiles fondly. "Sometimes children are the best teachers of all."

Superboy stares at her obviously confused by her statement. "If you say so."

She moves past Superboy, and helps Tim to his feet. "You did well, and I apologize for not treating you as a worthy opponent."

Tim holds up a hand to signal that he needs a moment before responding, and then coughs a few times. "It's okay. I've spent most of my crime-fighting career being underestimated. It's how most of us survive."

Black Canary stares at him for a moment as though she's not sure how to take that. "You refer to it as a career...interesting."

Tim smirks at her for a moment. He's well aware that anyone who's been doing this for any significant amount of time does, and he's pretty sure that that mindset transcends universes. "Don't we all?"

She nods at him for a moment, before turning back to Superboy. "Why don't you work with Red Robin, here, while I go check on a few things? I'll be right back." Before she leaves the room she glances back at Tim. "And don't be afraid to show him some more of the stuff that you just showed me. I've been working with him on a few things, but I think you two could really learn a lot from each other."

Tim doesn't get a chance to ask what she thinks he needs help with. He always loves improving himself, and if he can learn something from this world...well, then at least his time here won't be a complete and total waste. He turns back to Superboy, who doesn't seem pleased with the turn of events at all. Tim sighs, and fully expects this spar to turn into an all out fight. "Has Black Canary ever worked with you with staffs before?"

Superboy nods at him, but doesn't lighten up any. "Yeah, a few times."

Tim's not surprised. Most people like to have something between them and a super strong meta while fighting, even if it is just during a spar. "Do you mind if I use one with you now? I'm a little over hand-to-hand combat for right now."

Superboy nods again, and moves into a ready position. "Yeah, it's fine. Let's just get this over with, and I'd prefer if you didn't use any of your little tricks with me."

Tim raises an eyebrow at him as he pulls out his staff. "I assume you mean the smoke pellets, right?"

Superboy nods once again. "Yeah."

Tim inclines his head slightly. "Okay, I won't, but if you can pull your strength for me that'd be great."

Superboy seems to consider that for a long moment before giving him one final nod. "I can do that...I think."

Tim gestures for him to start the spar. "We can work on it, if you want."

Superboy moves in quickly, and Tim blocks the first kick with his staff, ducks under the punch, and jumps out of range of the sweep that he obviously learned from Black Canary. "You can do that?"

"Do what?" Tim questions as he moves out of the way of an elbow that probably would have left him seriously injured.

"Help me control my strength and stuff."

Tim nods as he spins away from another vicious kick. "Yeah, I...I helped my Superboy learn to control his powers when we were younger. He had a lot of trouble with it at first, but he's completely in control of himself now."

Superboy stares at him, disbelieving, as he absorbs a hit from Tim's staff. "And you trust him not to lose that control?"

Tim could hear the obvious emotion in Superboy's tone. Clearly, this was something that this boy worried about a lot. "Yes, I trust him completely. He's my best friend, and there's no one I trust more...a few I trust equally, but no one more so."

Superboy seems to consider that for a long moment as he blocks hits from Tim's staff with his forearms. "So, does that mean you can help me with my landings, too? I have a problem touching down...softly."

Tim chuckles to himself at the memory of the first time that Kon almost went through every floor in the tower. "Yeah, I can help with that, too."

"Great." Superboy smiles at him for the first time since he's arrived on this earth, and Tim can't help but smile back.

The End (for now)


	3. Chapter 3

It's been two days since he started training with Superboy, and it's already extremely obvious that Tim's going to have to work with him on controlling his anger if he's ever going to have the control that Conner has. Tim doesn't know why this Superboy is so angry all of the time, and he honestly doesn't even know how to broach the subject; but Tim's well aware that it's something that has to be done...sooner, rather than later. They're in the training area. They have been for most of the day, and Tim is really starting to wonder if he should have Superboy list his powers for him, because other than the typical Superboy strength, he hasn't seen much of anything else. Tim isn't sure if Superboy is just holding them back, or if he just doesn't have as many powers as Kon yet. He can't imagine it's the former, because of the lack of control the kid seems to have in general, but it's a possibility. It seems a little weird to Tim that there hasn't been the slightest hint of TTK yet, and he's starting to honestly wonder if this Superboy will ever develop that particular power.

Tim has Superboy tossing fruit to him in order teach him how to handle things with less strength. Superboy seems to be getting increasingly more frustrated every time he crushes one of the apples, and the entire room smells like citrus thanks to all of the oranges he managed to smash into the wall earlier. The angrier Superboy gets, the more Tim wants to smile. It's really going to be torture for the boy when they switch to eggs. The thought is enough to make Tim want to smirk evilly, but instead he just tosses another apple to Superboy, who catches it without turning it into applesauce. "You're doing better. Do you want to stop for the day? We've been here for hours, and this room is starting to smell like a particularly ripe fruit salad."

Superboy shakes his head. "No, lets keep going."

Tim shrugs, and motions for him to pass him the apple again. So far, they've only managed to volley a handful of times before the fruit inevitably gets crushed, either by Superboy catching it too roughly, or by his throwing it so hard that Tim is forced to dodge if he doesn't want to be covered in fruit and bruises. They're on the tenth toss for this particular apple when Kaldur walks into the room. "Is it customary for land dwellers to throw fruit at each other?"

Superboy loses his concentration, and the next catch has apple bits spraying all over his face and chest. Before Superboy can get angry enough to punch something...or Kaldur for that matter, Tim moves to clasp a hand on his shoulder. "You did good, really good. We managed to get ten tosses on that one."

Superboy looks like he's caught between wanting to growl and hit something, and wanting to just sigh and walk away. Instead he turns his attention to Kaldur. Given that two days ago he would have just put his fist through a wall and walked away, Tim considers that quite an improvement in such a short time. "Red Robin is teaching me to control my strength."

Kaldur stares at Tim for a moment. "And this has what to do with crushing fruit?"

Tim breathes out a laugh. "The goal is to toss the fruit gently enough that it doesn't get damaged, eventually we'll work up to tossing eggs."

Tim's pretty sure that he just saw Superboy pale a little, and it makes Tim want to smirk a whole hell of a lot. "Eggs? Really?"

Tim nods at Superboy's obvious wary tone. "Probably not for a while, but eventually. Anyway, you should go get cleaned up, while I start taking care of this mess." Tim gestures to the room at large, and suddenly he misses Alfred more than usual.

Superboy doesn't say anything else before leaving, and Tim goes to gather supplies to start cleaning the training area. He's not surprised when Kaldur follows him, but he is surprised that, when they return to the room, Kaldur starts to help him. After all, it's not really his fault Tim chose such a messy training activity. After a few moments of silence, Kaldur stops scrubbing at the obliterated orange on the wall. "What can you teach me?"

Tim is so caught off-guard by the question that he nearly drops the scrub brush that he's using. "What do you mean?"

Kaldur stares at him seriously for a long moment. "It's clear that you're a natural born leader-much like Robin-but unlike him, you are used to leading. I know I am not the best leader, or the one that this team deserves, but I wish to become better for them."

Tim shakes his head. "I don't think that you're a bad leader by any stretch of the imagination. You're exactly what this team needs and deserves. It's just that this team is new-both to you and to each other. It's going to take time for all of you to become comfortable enough with each other to work in the way that your team needs to. I don't really know how much I can teach you versus what you'll have to learn on your own, just from being around them more, but I'm willing to work with you on anything that you feel you need to improve on."

Kaldur stares at the smashed fruit on the wall for a moment before answering. "I think I need to learn how treat them like operatives while we're out and friends while we're here. It's hard when some of them act so...child-like."

Tim smiles to himself. "You're talking about Kid Flash and Robin now, aren't you?" At Kaldur's nod, Tim continues. "Look, I don't know either one of them all that well, but I can tell you this. If this Robin is anything like his counterpart on my world, he won't grow up all that much...no matter how old he gets. He'll always make groan-worthy jokes-even in the midst of a battle-but that doesn't mean that he isn't fully capable of doing what needs to be done and taking orders. And, as far as Kid Flash goes, well, I feel confident that he'll eventually grow out of it. Learning to separate my leader duties from my friend duties took a long time, and I'm not really sure I've ever really perfected it, but...I'll help you as much as I can."

Kaldur nods once again as he starts scrubbing the wall once more. "Thank you."

Tim shakes his head again and smiles ruefully. "No, thank you. You really didn't have to help me clean this mess."

Kaldur gives him a small smile. "That's what friends are for."

Tim pauses for a second before inclining his head, and returning to cleaning the floor. He isn't sure when Kaldur started thinking of him as a friend, but Tim doesn't say anything. After all, if he's going to be stuck here for a long time, it'd be nice for this team to think of him as such, even if it makes him miss all of his friends back home even more. "Yeah, I guess."

Once Superboy has finished changing, he comes back and starts helping them clean without a word. Tim is actually feeling rather relaxed, all things considered. The three of them work silently together, and it isn't long before M'gann enters the room, too. "What happened in here? She glances at the room, and sniffs the air a little. "And why does it smell like a fruit salad?"

"It was a training session." Superboy replies before either Tim or Kaldur gets a chance.

M'gann glances around the room, which they aren't even halfway done cleaning yet. "Must have been some training session. Do you want some help finishing up?"

The boys all smile and nod at her. Tim stands up to hand her another scrub brush. "You don't have to. I'm sure you have better things to do, but if you want to, your help would be greatly appreciated."

M'gann blushes slightly as she grabs the scrub brush off of him. "I don't have anything else to do, besides I don't mind helping."

The four of them work quietly together for awhile, before M'gann sighs at a particularly tough orange stain on the wall. "I wish Wally was here. I'd bet he'd have this done in no time."

Kaldur doesn't even pause in what he's doing to respond. "Yeah, or he'd start throwing soapy water on people, and then we'd just have twice as much to clean up."

M'gann laughs at that. "Yeah, that's true. He does have a way of making a mess of things sometimes."

Superboy grunts in agreement. "I think this room is going to smell like fruit for weeks."

Tim smirks to himself. "Just think of how it'll smell when we switch to eggs."

All three of the others groan at that, and M'gann turns to face him. "Can't you pick something a little less messy?"

Tim holds up his hands in the air defensively. "It's the best way for him to learn, and, believe it or not, I'm the tidy Robin."

M'gann stares at him for a moment. "Wait...there are other Robins where you're from?"

Tim doesn't really know how to answer that. He doesn't really want to go into detail, for fear that the others will reveal that little tidbit to this Robin. Tim can only imagine how much that information will screw with such a young Dick Grayson's head. He knows that this Dick probably still believes he'll always be Robin. "Um, sort of...people grow up...grow into new roles, you know?"

M'gann loos like she doesn't know what to say to that, so instead of saying anything, she just shakes her head and switches the subject. "Well, if you're the tidy Robin, I'd hate to see the others."

The other two nod in agreement as they continue cleaning, and Tim can't help but laugh. It doesn't take too much longer with the four of them working together to finish cleaning the room. It still smells strongly of fruit once they're done, but now it has the added scent of chemicals from the cleaner they used. Tim thinks about working on a better ventilation system in here, but he'll need the blueprints of the room, and he has a feeling that request won't go over well. He considers discussing the matter with Robin the next time that he sees him, but Tim doesn't want to give any of them a reason to distrust him anymore than he needs to.

The four of them head out of the room together, and Tim is almost tempted to ask which one of them is on 'watch the creepy Red Robin' duty, but before he gets a chance, Red Tornado calls them to the entrance room. Well, to be fair, he calls the other three, but it's not like he's really allowed to walk around the place alone, so he follows along like a good little former Robin. When they get to the entrance room, Red Arrow is standing there, looking extremely annoyed with the wait. Tim is a little startled by his appearance.

It hadn't occurred to him that if Robin is only 13, then Roy would have to be only a few years older. It takes Tim a moment to recover. After all, being taller than Dick was weird, but being able to stand eye to eye with Roy Harper is just awkward, and then Tim remembers something. He tries to be as subtle as possible while looking for obvious signs of drug use. It doesn't look as though this Roy has gone down that path...at least not yet, anyway...although, Tim isn't sure how much would be obvious. He's always assumed that Roy was just really good at hiding the symptoms since Dick hadn't noticed right away. Tim makes a mental note to talk to Robin about it, just in case-especially since the arm guard on his right arm could be hiding track marks. Tim thinks about it for a moment. It seems like a reasonable assumption to make that this Dick and Roy are friends, but he might have to do more research before he broaches the subject with Robin.

It takes Tim a few seconds to realize that no one is saying anything, and that Roy is staring at him. Roy's facial expression is the type of nonchalant look used when one is forcing oneself to project calmness. It's times like this that Tim wishes he was more like Cassandra, even if he himself is sometimes disturbed by her ability to read people. He'd really like to know what Roy's actually feeling right now. "Who the heck is this?"

Before he gets a chance to answer M'gann steps in front of him. "This is Red Robin. He's from a different Earth, and he's staying with us until Batman can find a way to get him back home."

Roy stares at him for a moment. "So, Batman deems him a non-threat?"

"Not exactly, but when does Batman ever say anything directly?" Kaldur speaks up this time, and Tim would really like to know when he gained so much trust from these people.

Roy glares at him. "Or maybe Batman is just waiting for him to do something."

Tim sighs to himself. He doesn't really feel like playing the silent threat game right now. "To be honest, I would be quite offended if I wasn't considered some type of threat. I was trained by the Batman back on my own world, and my only goal at the moment is to get back home." Tim doesn't see any reason to mention that he was also trained by one of his world's best assassins, as well. He already has enough problems without them knowing that little bit of information.

Roy's glare only intensifies before he turns to the others. "When's the last time any of you have spoken with Batman?"

The others glance at each other for a few moments, before Kaldur steps forward. "Batman only contacts us when there's a mission for us."

"But he sent Black Canary here two days ago to spar with Red Robin." Superboy is suddenly standing in front of Tim protectively, which Tim finds very interesting, since two days ago Superboy had slammed him against a wall, and nearly choked him out.

"Why do you ask?" M'gann is biting her bottom lip nervously.

"Because no one has heard from him or Robin since after he sent Black Canary here. Green Arrow asked me to come here and speak with you personally while the league searches for them." Roy suddenly shifts his attention back to Tim. "If you have anything to do with this..."

Before he can finish his idle threat, Tim heads him off. "I couldn't possibly have anything to do with this. I've been here ever since my arrival one week ago, and I've been watched every moment of every day ever since."

The others nod, and Kaldur speaks up again. "It's true, and he's been working with Superboy to help him to control his strength. I have no doubt that Red Robin is a friend."

Roy doesn't seem convinced of that one little bit. "Oh really? Does that mean someone watches him sleep?"

Tim's almost starting to wonder if that's drug paranoia, or if the Arrows in this world really are just more Bat-like than the ones in his own. "Instead of accusing me, shouldn't you be trying to find them?"

Roy growls at him, and looks like he really wants to leap on him and pummel him into the ground. "I don't trust you."

Kaldur steps between the two of them. "That's understandable, but he is right. We should work on trying to find Batman and Robin."

Roy gives him one final glare before turning back to the others. "And how do you suggest we do that?"

Tim doesn't want to give Roy any more reasons than he already has to be suspicious of him, but if Batman and Robin have really been missing for two days there's no telling what terrible things might be happening to them. "Is this computer system linked to the Batcave?"

The others stare at him for a moment, clearly confused, before M'gann shyly responds. "I believe so, why?"

Tim doesn't waste time. He heads over to the main console, and gets to work. "Because if it is, I can hack into the Batcave's system and figure out what case they were working on last. It might give us a lead at the very least."

Superboy, Kaldur, and M'gann all stare at him with disbelief, while Roy readies an arrow. Kaldur steps in between Roy and Tim. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Can't you see that this is all part of his plan? What if he crashes both systems? Then we'll never be able to find them." The anger and disbelief that Kaldur is actually protecting him is evident in Roy's voice.

Kaldur moves to place a gentle hand on Roy's shoulder. "Friend, I understand your distrust, but he may be the only one who can find them. Red Robin has been here for over a week, and has yet to do anything to make us mistrust him."

Roy growls at him. "And it doesn't seem the least bit odd to you that he's able to hack your systems?"

M'gann shakes her head. "Why should it? Robin can, and it's obvious that they've both been trained by different versions of the same man."

Roy snarls at her. "You...all of you have always been far too trusting." He turns his attention to Kaldur. "It's easy to see now why you actually believed that the Hall of Justice was the League's real HQ."

"If you guys want to put aside the infighting for a moment, I'm in." Tim doesn't take his eyes off the screen. He figures if Roy is going to shoot him, the least he can do is give them the information he's found first.

Kaldur turns back to Tim, and stares at the screen for a moment. "Even Robin isn't that quick."

"See, this is one giant trick." Roy replies, before Tim even gets a chance to respond.

Tim sighs heavily at Roy's accusation. "Actually, I'm just naturally good with technology. In fact, Robin's counterpart on my world is in his late 20s, and I'm still better at this stuff than him. Now, I can share what I've found, but it'll be more expedient without any further interruptions." The others remain quiet, and Roy reluctantly gestures for him to continue as he puts his arrow away. "From what I've found so far, Batman and Robin were tracking a new gang that was trying to get a foothold in Gotham. They had a lead which led them to a large crime family from the Ukraine. I can find out if the two off them went to the Ukraine to head of the gang at the source, but it'll take me some time, and..." Tim pauses for a moment, knowing full well that none of them are going to be happy with his next request. "I'll need some privacy."

"Oh right, 'cause that doesn't sound suspicious at all." Roy folds his arms over his chest, and Tim's fairly certain that he's rolling his eyes behind his mask.

Tim eyes the others for a moment. He can tell that they're starting to think that Roy has a point, which, Tim has to admit, he'd think the same thing in their position. "Look, I'm going to have to track them in their civilian identities, and I know for a fact that none of you know who they are, so I'm sorry, but this has to be done in private."

Roy's eyes obviously widen beneath the mask. "Wait, you know who they are? And this isn't sending off warning bells to any of you?" Roy glances around at the others.

M'gann stares down at the ground sheepishly for a moment. "Um, we kind of already knew that he did. It makes sense. After all, even Robin said that it was apparent that he had been trained by a Batman just by the way he acts."

Roy looks as though he really wants to attack Tim, but in the end, he just throws up his hands in the air. "Fine, but make no mistake. If I find out that you've done anything to hurt my friends, I will make you pay."

Tim smiles at him brightly. "I wouldn't have it any other way." He watches as the others leave him alone in the room. He's not naïve. He knows that they'll have Red Tornado watching everything that he does, and Tim's more than okay with that, but right now, he just wants to find out what happened to Batman and Robin.

The End (for now)


	4. Chapter 4

It didn't take him long to track Bruce's and Dick's movement through the media. There had been a lot of articles lately focusing on their most recent vacation to some unknown island, which was no doubt their cover story while Batman and Robin paid a visit to the Cushko family to convince them that maybe Gotham wasn't the best place to set up shop. However, tracking Bruce and Dick through the Ukraine was a little more difficult. Tim doesn't know why he thought that this Bruce would organize his files the same way his own Bruce did, especially since Tim was the one who reorganized everything on the crays back home to make it as efficient as it is. But, he's starting to realize that a younger Bruce just means that the files are even more awkwardly placed, and it isn't helping matters. Sure, for normal people the system is excessively organized, but for Tim, it's no different than looking at a computer with no folders and files strewn about everywhere on the desktop.

He's getting increasingly more agitated the more dead ends he finds. It makes Tim glare at the screen in front of him, but he resists the urge to put his fist through it. After all, it wouldn't be helpful to lecture Superboy about his barely concealed rage if Tim is going to act out in the same manner. He thinks he's finally found a solid lead, when Red Arrow burst through the door with an arrow already poised. "I think we've given you enough time alone in here."

Tim sighs, but slides away from the keyboard with his hands up. He still doesn't have adequate files on this Roy Harper, and well, he'd rather not get shot with an arrow just to find out how 'trigger happy' this Roy is...especially at this age. "I think I've found something. I know the name of the crime family Batman and Robin were following, I know where their territory reaches, and I know that Batman and Robin went to the Ukraine. I just need to track down where Batman and Robin started disrupting the crime family's work, which means reading through dozens of Ukrainian newspaper articles, and unfortunately, it's taking longer than I anticipated to translate the articles."

Roy stares at him for a moment, with his arrow still trained on Red Robin. "And it's taking so long, because you're having trouble translating Ukrainian, or..." Roy trails off when he sees Red Robin shaking his head.

"No, because I'm having trouble finding the relevant articles, because Batman doesn't know how to file things properly yet."

Roy lowers the bow at that, and clearly raises an eyebrow behind his mask. "Did you just call Batman disorganized?"

Tim shakes his head again. "He's not by your standards, but his filing system isn't what I'm used to."

"Okay, and I'm supposed to ignore the fact that you apparently know Ukrainian, because...?"

Tim sighs again. "First, if it's okay with you, I'm going to get back to translating those articles." At Roy's nod, Tim slides back in front of the keyboard, and resumes working. "Second, if your Robin is anything like his counterpart on my world, the number of languages he knows is only marginally fewer than the ones I know, due to his age."

Roy steps behind him to read over his shoulder. "Okay, so I have a question. If you're tracking their movements through the papers why do you need the files on the Bat computer-or whatever those two call it?"

"Well, I'm sure you're well aware how often the news gets it wrong, so I'm double checking what information I've been able to gather from the news media against the information that Batman updated to his own systems. Unfortunately, finding that information is taking far too long for my liking."

Roy folds his arms over his chest while he glares at the screen in front of him. "I'm starting to see why the others trust you so much, but don't think you're off the hook yet. You still have to find them, and prove you had nothing to do with this in the first place."

Tim smirks to himself as he continues searching for the files he needs. "It's good to know that you're so protective of them. I'm sure that they feel the same way about you." Tim knows that he's not being nearly as subtle as he normally is, but he's finding it a little difficult to translate, find Bruce's notes, and try to keep this Roy from going down the same path as the Roy on his world did all at the same time.

Roy scoffs at that. "Yeah, right. What would you know? You're just some freaky kid from an alternate world, right? So, mind your own business."

Tim shrugs and gets back to work. He's not really sure why this Roy is so uptight all of the time, but he's starting to think maybe he should convince him to spend more time with Superboy. Maybe the two of them could find a nice quiet place where they can be angry together, because Tim doesn't know how to deal with both of them staring at him like they want to punch him to death. Tim is honestly starting to wonder if he should be worried about the anger management problems this team seems to have.

After another thirty minutes of searching and translating, Tim finally thinks he has an idea on Batman's and Robin's whereabouts. He shows Roy a map of the Ukraine, and points to a spot close to the border with Poland. "That's mostly likely their last location. From what I've learned, Batman and Robin managed to disrupt a lot of the Cushko family's business. I don't know if the two of them accomplished their goal of keeping them out of Gotham, but they did put away some of their heavy hitters. Unfortunately, you'll have to go there, and see what you can find. That's the best that I can do without any foot work."

Roy glances from the map to Red Robin, and then back to the map. "And what makes you think that you're not coming with us?"

Tim shrugs. "Well, it's not like I've been allowed to leave your lovely headquarters before."

Roy glares at him. "This isn't my HQ and they aren't my team, got that?" At Tim's nod, Roy continues. "Anyway, you're coming, just in case this is a trap."

Tim doesn't know if he should be happy that Roy is thinking like a bat or concerned. Either way, he gets up and heads for the door. "Works for me."

The two of them walk out into the main room, and they both stop dead. Tim has a funny feeling that he knows exactly what is going on, but from the look on Roy's face, the poor guy doesn't have a clue. He jumps away from Tim, and pulls an arrow. "Okay, what the hell is going on here?"

Before Tim gets a chance to speak, Batman raises a hand to call off Roy. "You did well, Red Robin."

Tim stares at him blankly. He should have known what this was really all about from the moment he hacked the Batcave computers. "I take it this was all just a test."

Batman nods at him curtly. "You passed."

Tim glances over at Roy, who looks about as angry as Tim was the first time that his Batman pulled a stunt like this. "Still think that I had something to do with this, Red Arrow?"

Roy's entire face is red, but whether it's from embarrassment or anger, Tim has no idea. "No, I guess not. By the way, Batman, I'm not a sidekick anymore, and I don't appreciate wasting my time with your little tests. Next time you have something planned, get one of your other lackeys to help out." Before anyone can say anything Red Arrow leaves.

"Wait, I don't understand. Where is Robin?" Tim hadn't even noticed M'gann on the other side of the room. He was too busy berating himself for not seeing this for what it really was.

Batman glances at her. "At home...where he should be."

Tim really should have checked the manor's security, but he didn't want to alert Alfred that someone was hacking the batcave systems. "I take it you gathered whatever information you wanted from watching me work."

Batman grunts at him. "I did, and I've made a decision."

Tim's eyes widen at that. He didn't think that there was any other motive behind this little test beyond Batman learning what exactly Tim is capable of as far as his detective skills are concerned. "And what's that?"

Batman folds his arms over his chest and lets his cape hang in front of him. "You will be training this team from now on. You're clearly more advanced than even Robin."

Tim stares at him perplexedly. "Well, yeah, but that's just because Robin is so young."

Batman doesn't say anything else before turning to walk away.

Tim races after him. "Wait, this is just temporary, right? You're still trying to find a way to get me back home, right?" Batman doesn't answer him, not that Tim was really expecting him to, but he still needs some kind of answer. "Wait, you have to tell me that you're still looking for a way to send me home. You can't just keep me here. I have a family, and friends, and a life."

Batman still doesn't turn around or answer him. Before Tim can say anything else, Batman is gone. Tim's knees buckle underneath him. "I have to go home."

M'gann kneels down beside him, and places a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure he's trying. It's probably just going to take some time, but at least now you have a purpose while you're here."

Tim stares down at his hands. "Yeah, I guess. Thanks, by the way."

M'gann smiles at him shyly. "That's what friends are for."

The End (for now)


	5. Chapter 5

They've run through this practice exercise five times now. Tim knows that he should have said something after the second time that the whole thing fell apart, but he's not used to working with a Dick Grayson who doesn't automatically learn from his mistakes and adjust for it. "Robin, this is your team-your friends-treat them as such. Talk to them. I know that you're used to working with a grim, mostly silent partner, but no one on this team is Batman. You're chatty, so use it to your advantage. Let your teammates know where you're going to be."

Robin nods at him once, and then flashes a grin as they run through the practice exercise again. He's getting better-they all are-and it's only been a couple of days since Batman gave him his orders. Tim refuses to be angry about that. He needs something to do, and this team needs someone who can train them full time. Besides, it wouldn't be the first time that Tim used training as a distraction from his life. It is, however, the first time that Robin has been here to train with them. After all, Gotham always takes precedence over everything and everyone else. Tim thought it would be far more awkward to train Dick, as opposed to training with Dick, but it's going well so far.

After another two hours of team building exercises-and this team needs a lot of them-he sends the rest of the team off to go change, but asks Robin to stay. If Tim wasn't used to dealing with another Dick Grayson, he might not notice the sudden nervous energy humming through Dick's body, but as it stands, it's almost blatantly obvious. "Relax, I just wanted to tell you good job. You're improving exponentially-especially considering that you don't always get to be here as often as the others." Tim knows from experience that most people improve faster and react better to positive reinforcement, but beyond that, he's also fairly certain that it's just a universal truth that Dick Grayson works better with encouragement.

Dick breathes out a laugh and smiles again. "Thanks. By the way, M'gann told me about the test that Batman put you through, and I just wanted you to know that I had nothing to do with that. I didn't even know about it."

Tim holds up a hand while he shakes his head. "It's okay, really. I'm used to being constantly tested, especially by a Batman. I just wish I knew if he was still working on trying to get me home."

Dick's eyes widen behind the mask. "What? Of course, Batman is still trying to get you home. Why would you ever think otherwise?"

Tim casts his eyes down to the ground, and doesn't say anything for a long moment. He almost forgot about Dick's undying faith in the man, and he doesn't want to do anything to tarnish that for him-especially since Dick is so young. He probably hasn't ever had any reason to question any of Bruce's motives yet, and Tim doesn't want to be the one to make him doubt that Bruce always has his best interest at heart. It's just that, the only person Tim has ever had that type of unyielding faith in was, and always would be, Dick himself. Tim knows that when Bruce gets obsessive-as he so often does-then some times the people around him get tossed to the wayside. And, quite frankly, Tim can't see any evidence that that isn't what's happening to him now. After all, it's not as though this Bruce knows him or cares about him. Tim has every reason to believe that he's just a useful tool in The Batman's crusade, and he'll remain here until he no longer is such.

Tim shakes his head again. "It's nothing. Anyway, you should go get changed."

Dick looks hurt at being dismissed, but turns to leave all the same. Tim wants to say something, but he doesn't know what. He doesn't want to be the cause of any Dick Grayson's pain, which is why he knows that he has to let Dick leave. Tim knows that he's going to end up saying something that could potentially crush this Dick, if they continue this conversation, so he watches Robin's retreating form in silence, knowing full well that it's for the best. However, when Dick reaches the door, he abruptly stops and spins back around. "He says that you're better than me, you know? That you were trained more extensively...that you probably had other teachers in addition to his counterpart on your world. Do...do you think...think that he wants to replace me...with you?" Dick looks like it's the hardest thing that he's ever had to voice, and Tim doesn't know what to do, so he takes a page out of Dick's own book.

Tim walks over to Dick, grabs both of his shoulders (which are too tiny, in Tim's opinion, to be any Dick that he knows) in both of his hands, and crouches down so that they're at eye level. "No, Dick, I really don't think that he does. I think that he wants you to be the best that you can possibly be, and even if that isn't what you are now, know that you will always have people who love and care for you-Bruce included."

Dick bows his head as tears start to fall from his eyes. Tim has only ever known one way to deal with a crying Dick, and he figures that this boy can't be that much different from his older brother, so Tim pulls him into a hug and lets him cry as long as he needs to. Dick clings to him, and sniffles a few times into Tim's shirt. "How do you know that?"

Tim really doesn't want to give away any more information than is strictly necessary, but he's pretty sure that this Dick needs to hear what he's about to say. "Because, back on my world, you're my adopted older brother."

Dick blinks at that a few times and pulls away slightly. "Bruce adopts more kids?"

Tim smirks a little and nods. "Yeah, a few." He doesn't see any reason to mention how many of them there really are back home. "In my world, at least. I don't think I have to tell you how different my world is from yours, though." Except, Tim thinks about it for a moment, and how much he's told them about his world. "Or, maybe I do."

Dick laughs and shakes his head. "No, I think it's obvious from the way that you dress."

Tim glances down at his costume. "What's wrong with the way that I dress?"

Dick scrunches up his nose in distaste. "It's too much like Batman's."

Tim doesn't say anything, but just nods at him. It's not as though he hasn't heard worse about this particular costume back home. "I guess so."

Dick stares at him for a moment, and considers what he's been told thus far, before speaking again. "So, you said that I'm your older brother, right?" At Tim's nod, Dick continues. "So, am I a good big brother?"

Tim smiles widely at that. "The best."

Dick grins brightly at him. "You're not just saying that to make me feel better, are you?"

Tim shakes his head and laughs. "No, I'm not, and if you don't believe me, I can tell you some of the awesome things that your counterpart and I have done while you help me set up for Kid Flash's solo training."

Dick smirks evilly at that. "I'm game. So, what torture are you going to be putting KF through, anyway?"

Tim shakes his head as he pulls the practice mats out of the way. "He needs to learn to think before he reacts-and before he speaks, if the way he talks to M'gann is any indication-but that will come later."

Dick laughs. "Yeah, right. What do you intend to do? Smack him every time he opens his mouth?"

Tim gestures for Dick to help him move some of the equipment around. "No, but I could let Superboy practice catching with him sometime."

Dick raises an eyebrow at that. "What do you mean?"

"Eventually, Superboy is going to have to learn how to catch people when they're falling without breaking bones. It's going to take a lot of practice before he gets it down, and super-healing would make Wally the most likely candidate to help with that little activity."

Dick stares at him for a moment before whistling. "You've got an evil streak in you. Remind me to stay on your good side."

Tim's smile dampens a little at that. He can almost here the missing 'little brother' at the end of that sentence, and it makes him miss his Dick even more than when he first got here. He shakes it off, and continues moving stuff around. Tim has a team to train, and he won't let his personal issues get in the way of doing just that.

The two of them work silently together until abruptly Dick stops what he's doing. "So, what do you and your brother do together?"

Tim nearly drops the net that he's holding. "What?"

Dick huffs out a breath of annoyance. "You told me that you'd tell me some of the awesome stuff that you guys do together, so..." Dick trails off and gestures with his hand for Tim to start speaking.

Tim spends the next hour telling Dick stories about train surfing, beating up bad guys, watching terrible movies, and relaying stories of his younger days as Robin. He doesn't mention too many things about the last year or so, and he makes sure never to use code names while he's talking about his various team-ups with Nightwing while he was Robin. If Dick notices that Tim is deliberately leaving things out, he doesn't mention it. In fact, he mostly just laughs and makes jokes. Tim can't remember the last time that he just spent time talking with someone when it wasn't mission related.

Dick's smile is as bright as Tim has ever seen it, and he can't help but grin back. "So, you and your Dick are really close, right? I mean, you guys clearly spend a lot of time together."

Tim nods once. "Yeah, as much as possible." It's true...or at least it used to be. Tim tries not to think about it that way, but ever since Damian became Robin, they don't spend nearly as much time together as they used to-and how could they? Tim doesn't want to be around Damian any more than is strictly necessary, and they both have their own lives. Dick has his priorities and Tim has his, and it works. Or, at least that's what Tim tells himself.

Dick suddenly nudges him with his elbow. "Hey, where did you just go? Your facial expression just got all 'Batman blank,' and I really didn't think that anyone other than Bruce could achieve that."

Tim shakes his head as if to clear it. "Sorry, I was just thinking about something. Anyway, I think we're done in here, so if you want to go hang out with the others I think I'm going to go to the library."

Dick bites his lip uncertainly, and looks like he really wants to force the issue, but instead just nods and turns to leave. "Thanks for, you know...telling me that stuff."

Tim nods mutely as Dick walks out of the door. He sinks down onto the floor and cradles his head in his hands. He needs to get his head on straight if he's going to be of any use here. It's just that, the longer that he stays here, the more that he starts to wonder if they even need him back home. Is there really even a point to trying to find a way back, when he can do so much more here?

The End (for now)


	6. Chapter 6

It's the twenty-seventh time that Wally has fallen on his face, and now Tim is having trouble trying not to laugh. "You need to slow down. That's the entire point of this exercise."

Wally picks himself up off of the floor and gets ready to run through the course again. "Slow down? Why in the world would I ever need to slow down?"

Tim rolls his eyes at the typical speedster response. "Well, at the very least, so that you can finish this particular exercise; but in general, speed isn't always the most important or most useful skill that you have. You'd be surprised at how useful thinking can be."

Wally simply huffs out a breath as he tries again. This time he makes it a third of the way through the course before he starts speeding again, and ends up flat on his face, trapped in a net. "This is ridiculous. You're over there laughing at me. I just know it."

Tim sighs as he helps Wally untangle himself from the net. "No, trust me, I've been through this enough times with other speedsters that I know it's frustrating and tiring for you; but this is something that you need to learn."

Wally looks as though he wants to say something, but before he gets a chance, Kaldur enters the room. "I'm sorry for interrupting. I didn't know that the two of you were having a private training session."

Tim waves for him to come the rest of the way into the room. "That's quite alright. I was actually just about to give Wally a food break. I'm sure that he needs it." The moment the words food break are out of Tim's mouth, Wally is gone and out the door. Tim laughs to himself as he turns back to start resetting the obstacles. "So, what did you need?"

Kaldur seems unsure for a few moments, as if he doesn't want to speak. "I...I was wondering if you could help me with something."

Tim nods and patiently waits for Kaldur to tell him what it is. When it becomes apparent that he's not going to say anything unless pushed, Tim gestures for him to continue. "Sure, what is it?"

Kaldur looks as though he wants to shuffle his feet, but instead stands tall. "I want to learn how to fight with a staff like you. I've seen you use it in varying ways the few times that I've watched you spar. The way you often use it against Black Canary is most interesting."

Tim smiles at that, because it's not something that he has to think too deeply about in order to teach adequately. "Sure, not a problem. We can start now if you want."

Kaldur nods again. "I would like that."

The two of them move enough stuff to clear a space for them to work, and then Tim goes to get two practice bo staffs to work with. "Okay, now I assume you know the basics, right?" At Kaldur's firm nod, Tim continues. "Okay, well then, I think the best way to teach you is to watch you go through some of the moves you know, and then spar a little. Once I have a decent grasp of what you know, I'll be able to come up with detailed training regimens for you."

Kaldur smiles slightly at him. "Thank you."

Tim shrugs off the gratitude. "It's nothing. After all, it's not like I have much else to do, right? Anyway..." Tim moves away to give Kaldur room to work, as he tosses him a practice staff. "...Show me what you've got."

Kaldur moves into the center of the room, and begins to show Tim some jabs and blocks that he's learned. There aren't any flaws in his form to correct, which makes Tim mentally smile. He's sure that it won't take Kaldur too long to master the weapon. Kaldur then begins to spin and flip, not really using the staff to his advantage, as he fights imaginary opponents. It's not a surprising mistake, given that Tim's never seen Kaldur use a staff. Tim expected that he wouldn't know how best to hold it for maximum damage to his opponents. It shouldn't take too long, all things considered, however, to correct that mistake, and that makes Tim smile openly. "Good. You're doing very well for a beginner."

Kaldur doesn't seem to believe the praise, but simply inclines his head anyway. "Thank you."

Tim recognizes that response well enough from his first days of training, so he doesn't try to reaffirm that it's true. Kaldur's confidence with the bo staff, as well as with his training with Tim, will come in time. At least, that was Tim's experience while training with all of his mentors. "If you want, we can start working together every other day after team training. It shouldn't take you too long at all before your comfortable enough with the staff to use it regularly. Once you can spar me with it, and beat me, I'll have you spar with Superboy, so that you can learn how to defend yourself properly using the staff against an opponent who is bigger and stronger than you."

Kaldur smiles again. "That would be quite helpful. Thank you."

Tim nods at him, before he moves into the center of the room to show Kaldur his staff routines. "I'm going to show you two of my staff exercises. The first one is simple, and you should memorize all of the movements. The second is a far more complex one, and by the time we're done, you should be able to do the routine in its entirety."

Tim starts to move the moment he's done speaking. He jabs, twists, and turns, using the staff like it's a part of him. When he kicks, the staff is braced in a position that would make it easy to move it in order to block another opponent. When he spins, the staff is held in the perfect place to take out as many close range targets as possible, and when he finishes, the staff is still held at the ready. He glances over to Kaldur. "What do you think?"

Kaldur seems to be a little more confident now, which Tim is pleased to see. "I should be able do that."

Tim smiles at that and nods. "Okay, now, here's the harder one."

Tim begins with a back flip. The staff is balanced in his hands perfectly, allowing him to easily defend himself from multiple sides. When his feet hit the floor, he spins, swinging the staff out to his left and then quickly bringing it back to his right. He jumps and lunges, always keeping the staff in a position that makes it easy for him to move it quickly to wherever he may need it. He lands in a crouch and spins the staff above his head, and then uses it to vault over some imaginary foes. When he lands, Tim pulls the staff to himself, and spins it around his body, before bringing it back in font of him and twirling it in his hands. He jabs the staff down beside his right leg at an angle, and then flips over it. If he was fighting someone, those kicks would definitely knock the person out cold. Tim never stops moving, and always has the staff in a usable and defendable position.

When he finishes, Tim brings the staff back to center and bows a little to Kaldur in order to signal that he's done. Kaldur grins brightly at him. "I believe there is much that I can learn from you."

Tim smiles as he gestures for Kaldur to move back into the center of the room. "Okay, why don't you work through the first routine that I showed you? I'll give you pointers as you go."

Kaldur nods and then begins to go through the exercise. There are only a few corrections that Tim needs to make, and he takes direction extremely well. Tim's actually surprised at how easy it is to train him. He expected for some of this to be at least slightly awkward, and Tim honestly isn't sure if training Kaldur is easy because it's staff work or because of how well Kaldur listens and adjusts, exactly the way he tells him to. Either way, it makes Tim feel more useful than he has in quite some time. The two of them spend a few hours working with the staff, before Tim calls it day. He doesn't want to tire Kaldur out too much, especially if the team is needed for anything. He does, however, give Kaldur a few moves that he wants him to practice in his spare time. Kaldur accepts the added work graciously before he leaves, and Tim is honestly almost dreading his next training session with Wally.

Wally doesn't take direction well at all, but that's not really the problem. After all, that's just natural for a speedster. No, the real problem is, working with Wally is just enough like working with Bart, that Tim finds himself nearly sharing inside jokes due to the familiarity of it all; and yet, it's so different, that Tim finds the training sessions to be frustrating in a way that he isn't prepared to deal with. Tim is honestly regretting not asking his Dick more about the specific training techniques he used with the older Titans when they were Tim's age. He's not really sure how to get through to Wally. After all, it's not as though he's really all that close to Wally's counterpart on his world. Sure, he's spent time with the guy, but after the way he's treated Bart over the years, getting to know Wally West was never really a priority for Tim, and he's never really felt bad about that until now.

Tim can't help but feel that he would be better equipped to deal with/help this Wally if he had taken the time to get to know his own Wally a little more. Tim still doesn't see himself going out of his way to spend time with his Wally if, or better yet, when he ever gets back home, but it is something that he's considering. Certainly, it would help if he ever ended up in a situation like this again. However, explaining to Bart the logical reasoning behind trying to get to know Wally West would be difficult to say the least, and quite frankly, Tim isn't even sure it's worth it. He thinks it's definitely something he'll have to think about later, but right now he's scheduled himself some downtime in the library.

It's nice to finally be off the 'could be a threat' list enough that he's allowed to roam the HQ without an escort at all times. That's something that he should really thank Batman for, because without his test, he'd probably still be stuck with at least one of the others. Tim does have to admit that sometimes he misses the quiet presence of Superboy or one of the others. Not frequently, but often enough that Tim has started increasing his training sessions with them all just to give himself a little more time around them. Still, he enjoys his time alone just as much as he always has, and the library is still the best place for him to spend that time. He's still searching for more theoretical science books, but he still hasn't found many that delve into multiverses or anything even close to what he needs. Tim does limit the amount of time he allows himself to search each day, just to keep himself sane.

He's well aware of how obsessive he can become, and the last thing Tim needs is the disappointment of knowing that there really isn't a lot of information to find. He's kept himself from getting desperate enough to search the internet, but that's mainly because Tim knows himself well enough to know that it would start with looking for theoretical science books and end with him gathering as much background information as possible on the counterparts of the people that he cares about the most. Tim doesn't want to know who's alive and who's dead in this world. He tries not to consider how many of his friends have never, and probably will never, exist in this world. It's hard enough for him to think about where his own counterpart is, and Tim knows that he wouldn't be able to stop with just himself. He'd have to find out if there's a Jason Todd here, and he knows that he wouldn't be able to just sit by and let things unfold. He'd have to interfere, but there's no telling what that would do, so Tim avoids computers as much as possible.

He spends his time reading, training, or working with the others...anything to distract him from the itch of knowing that it would only take him 12 hours tops to have all of the information he could ever want. Tim tries to tell himself to trust in Batman; tries to reassure himself that if there's a way, then Batman will find it. But it's been a long time since he's had such unyielding faith in the man, and this isn't even his Bruce. This is a man who, for all he knows, could be just as lost as Tim feels. It's a sinking feeling-one that Tim tries to steer away from as much as possible, but there are times, such as right now, when it's just insurmountable for him to think about anything else.

He's trying to be what he needs to be-trying to give this team the best training that he can-but he can't help but feel like it's not enough-like he's failing. After all, he hasn't even figured out how advanced M'gann's powers are, nor is he sure how he intends to gauge them and improve them. He doesn't want to risk anything disastrous by pushing her too hard or too fast, but he knows that, for all of the control she seems to have, there's so much she doesn't. He also doesn't know what she does (and doesn't) understand about humans. He knows the others aren't really helping all that much with that particular category. After all, Superboy isn't even sure that he is human-that's clear by the way he stares at the others as though they're something unrecognizable. But then, Tim's never been good at making people feel comfortable.

He's actually surprised to find that this was actually easier with his own team. Sure, there are certain aspects of training a team which are easier now that he knows what he's doing, but there are so many more which are just confusing. When he was training his own team it didn't feel so awkward because he was learning, just as much as they were. Not to mention that he was a part of that team. He's not a member of this one, and doesn't want to be, but he's not someone they should really trust and look up to, either-at least, not with how little they really know about him. It's not surprising to him that some of them do, but it's still problematic. The dynamics of this team are something that they are still working out, and Tim isn't capable of helping them with that one bit. They have a leader, but not the one they think they should have, which Tim knows is only going to lead to pain if they don't figure out how to deal with it.

Tim doesn't know how to help them-not really. He has too much information about each person on this team, or at least, of what he can expect out of them once they've advanced enough to match the people he knows back home. It's making it difficult to judge how much he should be pushing them and how far they really will come. He knows that, just because their counterparts on his world can do something, it doesn't mean that these kids will ever reach that level. However, without breaking into Batman's files on each of them, Tim doesn't have much of anything else to compare them with-and he'd rather not hack into the Batcave systems again without a mission-approved reason. After all, Tim really doesn't need to give Batman a reason to think that he's an untrustworthy threat. Unless, of course, that's going to get him home sooner.

Tim's not sure if he wants to get home sooner or not. He wants to go home, but he feels obligated to at least wait until he's managed to impart enough of his knowledge to these kids that it makes them the best operatives possible. He doesn't want to leave before he's managed to make each of them at least a little better than they already are. He'd settle for helping them simply work as a real team instead of as a small band of teenagers, the way that they do now. Tim knows that it's ridiculous to believe that he'll get a choice in the matter, but he doesn't see any reason not to at least plan for it. After all, these kids-and it feels wrong to refer to them as such given that he's only a few years older, but in comparison they really are-need someone who knows exactly how ugly and cruel the world can be. Tim doesn't know what this Batman has faced thus far, but he knows that only a real crisis can prepare someone for the absolute worse, and after everything that Tim's been through, he thinks that he's at least slightly better prepared than anyone else here.

The End (for now)


	7. Chapter 7

Tim awakes to the sound of screaming, only to discover that the screams are his own. He's not surprised. It's actually about time again for him to have the dreams of his father's blood all over him and the floor. He's not really sure when the dreams began to come in a scheduled manner, but he finds relief in the solidarity of it. Tim has no delusions that he's going to return to sleep. He never does after those particular dreams, and he figures if he's not going to sleep, then the least he can do is get some work done. Normally that would mean pulling up one of the many cases he's currently working on-there's always something to be done, something to be worked through in Gotham-but he's not in Gotham. Hell, he's not even on his own earth.

Tim doesn't have any cases to work through, so he grabs a notebook, a pen, and four, large, heavy, theoretical science books and heads to the kitchen. There are some equations that he's been working through. He doesn't actually believe that he can teach himself everything that he needs to know, but it makes him feel better to try. The first thing Tim does when he gets to the kitchen is to head for the coffee maker. The reason for his wakefulness doesn't change the fact that, if he wants to be able to function on any level above sleep deprived zombie, then he's going to need the caffeine.

He's on his third cup of coffee. He has all four of the books open to various pages, the notebook is laid out in front of him, and Tim keeps flipping back and forth to find the notes that he needs, when all of a sudden he hears the sound of a small projectile slicing through the air. He's already out of his seat and in a ready position when he notices the harmless trick arrow lying on the ground from where it ricocheted off of the wall behind where he was sitting. Red Arrow steps into the kitchen, smirking. "Wow, you move faster than Robin."

Tim is blinking rapidly trying, and failing, to figure out when Roy got here. He's just happy that he remembered to grab one of the domino masks that he had gotten from Robin before he left his room. Tim isn't sure how he's supposed to deal with this encounter. It's not as though he's on friendly terms with this Roy Harper. "Is there something I can do for you, Red Arrow?"

Roy shakes his head. "I heard you got the a-okay from Batman to train the others." Tim raises an eyebrow behind his mask, but doesn't say anything. "I guess that makes you trustworthy. Anyway, I didn't come here to annoy you. It's just, sometimes-when I'm in the neighborhood-I come here instead of heading straight home."

Tim's not sure why Roy is being so forthcoming with the information, especially when Tim didn't actually ask any questions, but he's fairly certain that it isn't just because of how late/early it is. He's also pretty sure that, what Roy really means by 'in the neighborhood,' is when he's feeling a little too lonely, and doesn't feel like heading back to wherever he's staying right away. It's making Tim really want to run a drug test on Roy, and alert Black Canary to the possibility that he might need some supervision for a while. Tim just has to find the best way to do that without drawing the team's attention, or worse, the entire JLA. He shelves the idea for now. After all, there's nothing he can do about any of that at this precise moment.

Roy shuffles his way over to the table with all of Tim's work on it. "So, what are you doing?" He randomly starts flipping through Tim's notes. "This looks...heavy."

Tim sighs as he reaches over for his coffee mug. "I'm still trying to find a way back home. Unfortunately, I just don't have the background in theoretical physics that I need. I always preferred computer algorithms for a reason."

Roy pauses in thumbing through Tim's notes long enough to just stare at him blankly. "Man, you're not kidding, are you?"

Tim shakes his head. "Anyway, I'm sure that you would like to get some sleep."

Roy opens his mouth to respond, but before he gets the chance, the two of them fall silent to focus on the whispered voices that they can hear floating in from outside the doorway. Tim recognizes M'gann's voice immediately, and he isn't at all surprised to see Superboy trailing into the room behind her. She glances at both of them with a questioning look before gesturing for Superboy to follow her over to the refrigerator. Everyone seems content to just ignore each other, but Superboy looks upset, certainly more-so than normal, and Tim has already resigned himself to the fact that he's probably not going to get anymore work done tonight. He starts closing his books and putting his notes in order. "So, what are you two doing up?"

Before M'gann gets a chance to speak, Superboy spins around to glare at Tim. "What? So, now I need a a bed time and a babysitter?"

M'gann places a hand on Superboy's shoulder and shoots an apologetic look at both of them. "Superboy, he's just asking out of curiosity."

Superboy stares at her for a moment before muttering an apology. "Sorry, I'm just..."

"Defensive." Roy finishes for him, and Tim can't help but glare at Red Arrow. He desperately wants to smack him upside the head, but it's not as though he has that type of relationship with Roy's counterpart back home.

Tim rolls his eyes and sighs. "It's fine. What's up?"

Superboy looks as though he has no intention of talking, and M'gann bites her lip uncertainly. It's clear that she wants to say something, but isn't sure how Superboy is going to take it. After a few moments of indecision, she heaves a large sigh and steps closer to Tim. "Superboy is upset that Superman won't speak to him."

Superboy scoffs at that. "Ha, speak to me? He won't even give me the time of day."

Tim doesn't know what to say to that. He thinks he might understand Superman's reasoning for such, but he's not really sure. He certainly doesn't know how much he should tell this Superboy or how much comfort he can really give the boy. Luckily for Tim, the decision is taken out of his hands by Roy. "At least Supes is honest about the fact that he doesn't want you around. Green Arrow acts like I don't even exist. Unless, of course there are cameras around. Put a camera in front of that man, and suddenly he's got an arm draped over my shoulders and acting like he's the best mentor a guy could have."

Superboy balls both of his hands into fists at that. "They both suck."

Roy nods in agreement. "All of the older heroes do."

Superboy glares and shakes his head. "No, Black Canary doesn't, and Batman's not that bad."

Roy sighs. "Okay, fine, I'll give you Black Canary. She's pretty awesome, but Batman? You've got to be kidding me."

"Manhunter is great." M'gann chimes in softly.

Red Arrow and Superboy both turn to stare at her for a moment before nodding in agreement. "Fine, I concur. Black Canary and Martian Manhunter are okay, but I still don't see how Batman makes this list. I mean, he's got some kid we don't even know training you guys." Roy turns to Tim and adds, "No offense."

Tim waves at hand him. "None taken."

Superboy moves to sit down. "Batman has trained me more than Superman has, and he just wants everyone to be their best. I like him."

The others sit down around the kitchen table as well, while Tim gets them all something to drink. From what he's observed Superboy and M'gann prefer sugary carbonated drinks to coffee, so he hands them both a soda before gesturing to Roy with another can. Roy simply shakes his head and points to the half full coffee pot. Tim smiles to himself as he gets another cup out for Roy, and pours more into his own. Roy nods his thanks before taking a long sip from his cup. He then places the cup on the table and returns to the conversation at hand. "Okay, I can see why you would like him, but just because Batman has trained you more than Supes-which isn't hard, since the man won't even glance in your direction-that doesn't mean that he's a good mentor."

Superboy's brow furrows at that. "Okay, so what makes a good mentor?"

Roy shrugs as he downs half of his coffee. "The hell if I know."

M'gann stares down at her can of soda for a few moments before lifting her head to speak. "Maybe we should ask Red Robin."

The three of them turn to Tim expectantly. He doesn't say anything at first, so Roy nudges him with his elbow. "Well, come on. You're well-trained. Surely, you know what makes a good mentor, and if Batman is one or not."

Tim has no idea how or why this conversation started, but it's making him uncomfortable, and he's not really sure what he's supposed to say. He takes a long swig from his coffee in order to delay the inevitable, and then sighs. "Truthfully, I wouldn't know if this Batman is a good mentor or not. I haven't exactly spent any real amount of time with the man, and all requests to speak to him have yielded no results. If I was judging based purely off of how Robin fights, trains, and interacts with you guys, I would say that he's trying his best, but there are certain lessons one can only learn from making mistakes."

They're all silent for a long moment, and for one single tiny second, Tim thinks that he might have successfully evaded any further discussion on this particular topic. That is until Roy punches him in the shoulder, and gives him a very knowing look. "Oh, you know something. You know that he's doing something wrong-something that's probably going to screw up poor Rob, and you're just afraid to say it."

The other two stare at him in alarm, and Superboy looks as though he wants to shake Tim until he tells them what they want to know. Tim just shakes his head. "This isn't my world. In fact, this place is nothing like my world. There's no way to know if the things that happened in my world will happen here, and I see no reason to..."

Roy shoves him at that. "No, no, that's a cop out and we all know it. If there's even a minute chance that something might happen that's going to hurt Rob, you have to tell us. You have to give us a chance to stop it."

Tim holds up his hands in a pacifying way. He doesn't know how to tell them that there's really no way to stop what may or may not happen, especially since Bruce is Bruce. "All I can tell you is that Robin's counterpart on my world is a very physical creature. He needs a lot of physical affection, and well...that's just not something one expects to get from Batman, but this Robin isn't that Robin. Hell, this Batman isn't that Batman. For all I know, Robin gets hugged every day." He smiles evilly at that, and Roy bursts out into laughter. The other two seem as though they're trying, and failing, to picture Batman hugging anyone.

M'gann shakes her head as though just trying to imagine that hurts, and lays a hand over Tim's. "Well, what about your Batman? Is he a good mentor?"

Tim nods once. "Of course he is. He makes mistakes, but who doesn't? Sometimes he makes us...makes me make the wrong choice, especially when dealing with interpersonal relationships, but he does what he does for a reason, and I can't fault him for that. His choices are usually logical, and the best choice to keep us all safe."

M'gann tightens her hand around Tim's for a moment. "Sometimes he makes you make the wrong choice? Do you mean like how he makes Robin keep his identity from us?"

Tim nods again. "I'm not going to lie to you. Keeping our identities safe is always going to be a priority, and I don't know if this Batman will ever be comfortable enough with you...all of you to ever let him tell you his name, and that will become a strain eventually. The thing you need to remember is that, as hard as it is for you to trust someone who can't even tell you his real name, it's twice as hard for him to keep it from you. I know from experience that there are days when the only thing we want is to be able to show our friends our true faces...to be honest with our friends, and for once not have to hide. Unfortunately, it's not really an option very often."

All three of them stare at him somberly, each considering the full weight of what he's just told them. After a moment or two, Superboy pushes away from the table. "Whatever, I'm going to bed. Besides, Black Canary is still the best mentor."

M'gann laughs and follows Superboy out of the room. "Night you two."

Roy and Tim both wave and tell them good night. Tim gathers his books with the intent of going back to his room and finishing up his work for tonight, but he's halted by Roy's hand sliding his notebook out of reach. "So, you had a team, too? Back on your world, I mean."

Tim nods and tries to grab his notebook, but Roy just pushes it further out of his reach. "What were they like?"

Tim sighs, and sits back down. It's clear that Roy isn't going to give him back his notebook until he tells him everything that he wants to know. Tim could just turn this into a spar, but he's tired, and really just wants to finish his research. "They aregreat. Present tense. I will get home...eventually."

"And if you don't?"

Tim glares at him. "What's that supposed to be mean?"

Roy shakes his head. "Look, I'm sure you're aware that you may never find a way home. Then what? Can there be a Robin and a Red Robin? Are you just going to stay here and do nothing but train them? Is Batman going to allow you to work out of Gotham? Do you even want to? I'm just sayin' you might want to start thinking about this stuff, instead of wasting your evenings pouring over these books."

Tim drops his head into his hands. "I do think about it. I think about it all of the time, and I don't know."

Roy places his hand on Tim's shoulder. "Do you think that they're looking for you back home? Do you think that they know what happened to you?"

Tim shrugs. "I'm sure that they're probably looking, but I have no idea if they've figured out that it was a multiverse hiccup-and even if they have figured out that much, there's still probably no way of knowing where I ended up. This 'finding the right earth thing' is very tricky."

Roy nods as he slides Tim's notebook back over to him. "Hey, at least you know that someone is looking, right?"

Tim smiles slightly at that. "You know that people would be looking for you, too, right? If this ever happened to you, I mean."

Roy laughs as he shakes his head. "I don't know about that, man. I mean, maybe they would be looking for the me on your world-there is a me on your world, right?"

Tim nods. "Yeah, there's a you on my world."

Roy's grin only brightens at that. "Cool, are you two friends?"

Tim shrugs slightly at that. "I like to think that we are, but you...or your counterpart is actually best friends with Robin's counterpart, who is my older brother. It's a little complicated, actually."

Roy laughs again. "Yeah, sounds like."

Tim sighs quietly as he drops his books back onto the table. It doesn't take a genius to know that Roy is lonely and really just needs his friends, but his friends are sleeping, and Tim isn't really good at being social. But, he figures, the least he can do is try. "Hey, I'm not really tired, and I know that you just had a cup of coffee, so...do you want to watch a movie or something? I don't really get to do much beyond train them, and it'd be nice to spend time with someone who isn't either testing me or trying to get me to make them better."

Roy smiles and nods. "Yeah, I wouldn't mind watching something with you. Just don't fall asleep on me, okay?"

Tim grins slightly, but that's mainly because he has every intention of sitting on Roy's left side so that he can subtly check for track marks. He doesn't know what he intends to do if finds any, but Tim was trained to think on the fly. "No promises."

Roy simply laughs at him, and goes to put in a movie. "Well, I'll make sure to tuck you in then."

The End (for now)


	8. Chapter 8

The team is on a mission, which leaves Tim here, alone. It's the perfect opportunity to get some work done, so he heads down to the library. It feels weird being in this room with his suit on, but he doesn't feel comfortable being here alone wearing anything else. It feels wrong not to be prepared for absolutely anything and everything. He's about to get started in on the new books that he's just found, when Tim hears a loud crash coming from the training area. Normally, he wouldn't even think twice about it, but given that the team is gone, Tim is up and moving before he's even consciously aware of it.

When he gets closer to the room, it's apparent that there are two people in there, and it doesn't sound like they are just sparring. Tim slides three batarangs into his hand as he silently edges closer to the door, without being seen. "He's still just a kid-just like the others-whether you want to admit it or not." Tim recognizes Black Canary's voice immediately, but he doesn't relax any, especially since the seething tone of her voice promises violence to whomever she's speaking with.

"He's well trained. That's all that matters." Tim's eyes widen with the realization that Black Canary is fighting with Batman.

"Weren't you just saying that you still don't trust him? What are you going to do? Put a tracking device on him." There's silence for a moment, and then Black Canary erupts again. "That is not an actual plan."

"He's not a member of the team, and no one else has taken any responsibility for him. His skills would be useful in the field, and I see no reason to continue wasting them here."

Tim's getting a sinking feeling about this conversation, but he's interested, so he places the batarangs back into his belt, and crouches down. He's barely breathing in the hope that he'll remain undetected. "Of course no one's taken responsibility for him. He doesn't belong here! Besides, Superman won't even take responsibility for the one with his DNA."

"I'm working on that."

Black Canary scoffs at him. "And I'm sure that that's going really well, but back to the problem at hand. Are you even trying to send him back home? It seems like you've just been using him. You have him training the team full time, and now this. When I told you that the kid needed to get out, this isn't what I meant."

Bruce doesn't say anything for a moment, and Tim can only imagine the glare that he's directing toward her. After another second or two, Tim hears the unforgettable sound of a cape whipping past someone's legs. "The boy is coming with me."

Tim hears something that sounds an awful lot like Black Canary tackling Batman, and he's pretty sure that he doesn't want to be here for the fallout, but he still doesn't want to attract attention to himself. Before he can figure out an acceptable escape route, though, he hears the unmistakable sound of someone's hands being zip-stripped. "This doesn't concern you, Canary."

"The hell it doesn't!" Tim hears the zip-strips breaking. "I know for a fact that you've never let Robin do what you're intending to do with this kid."

"Robin isn't as well trained as him."

"And that's the real problem, isn't it? You just can't deal with the fact that you've spent the last four years training Robin, and this kid comes out of nowhere and proves that it's not enough. You said it's clear that he wasn't trained by just Batman. So, what? Are you just going to replace Robin with this kid, because I swear if you do..." Tim can imagine Dinah's eyes narrowing, and it makes him want to return to the library even more, but he needs to hear the rest of this conversation.

"I have no intention of replacing Robin, but Robin is with the team and this boy could prove to be useful."

Black Canary sighs, and Tim is really starting to think that he needs to retreat now before they catch him listening in. "If this is your way of saying that you need help while Robin is away, why not just ask one of us? You know that we wouldn't hesitate to..."

"I don't like metas in my city, Black Canary. You know that." Batman cuts her off, which Tim knows would only anger the Dinah on his world even more, so he's not really surprised when he hears Black Canary's low and feral growl.

"Right, of course, so you'd rather endanger some..."

Tim really can't deal with her calling him some kid again, so instead of just standing outside or leaving he walks through the door. "I'm not a child, so tell me what it is you want me to do."

Black Canary's eyes soften, and she looks as though she wants to protect him. Tim wants to smile and assure her that it's fine. Instead, he simply nods to her once before turning his attention back to Batman. He folds his arms over his chest, and raises an eyebrow while he waits. Batman looks as though he wants to smirk, which only makes Tim's eyebrow rise higher.

Before Batman can tell Tim what he wants, however, Black Canary moves beside him, and places a hand on Tim's shoulder. "Red Robin, you can tell him no. You don't have to go with him."

Tim holds up a hand to stop her from continuing, and turns to face her over his shoulder. "Thank you, but Batman's right. I am well trained, and there isn't any reason to waste my skills here." He turns back to Bruce and stands tall. "So, what's the mission?"

Batman nods at him once before gesturing for Tim to follow him. They stop in front of one of the main computers, and Batman starts pulling up files. "There's been a massive breakout at Arkham Asylum. It's a facility which houses..."

"The criminally insane...I'm aware."

Batman glances down at him for a moment, and Tim swears he can see an almost smirk. Tim is starting to get the impression that this Bruce isn't as cold or as closed off as his own, which makes sense, because this Bruce hasn't lost a Robin yet. "It will take too long for me to track down every escaped prisoner on my own."

Tim's eyes roam over the map of Gotham, which Batman has pulled up on the screen. He stares at it for a moment, before interrupting Bruce again. "You want to break the city up into a search grid, and you want me top side while you search the sewers for Killer Croc. I'll need some time to go over the files of everyone who escaped. After all, while I'm prepared to deal with the big ones like The Joker of my own world, I'd hate to be surprised by any deviations your world's criminal element has from my own."

Batman nods once again as he steps away from the console. "How quickly can you have these files read?"

Tim copies the files to his palm computer, and immediately starts reading. He can't express how relieved he is that his technology is still compatible with this world's tech. "I can have these files memorized in half an hour."

Tim can see Batman staring down at him from the corner of his eye. He looks as though he wants to say something, and then his hand twitches. It's barely even noticeable. In fact, if Tim hadn't spent most of his life following a very different Batman, he probably would have missed it completely, but Tim knows that hand twitch. It's the same one that his Bruce has when he wants to put his hand on Tim's shoulder, but doesn't know how it will be received. True, Tim mostly hasn't had to deal with that reaction in quite some time, but he'd never forget that response. After all, he had to deal with it for years before the two of them became comfortable around each other. Tim doesn't know what to think about the fact that he's now getting that same reaction from this Bruce, but before he can give it much more thought Batman turns away from him and starts walking out of the room.

Tim knows better than to say anything. He's spent enough time with his own Bruce to know that any conversational attempts will yield nothing, so instead, he focuses harder on the files he copied. They're heading to the entrance when it occurs to Tim that now is the perfect time to do something that he's been considering since his impromptu movie-watching night with Roy. "I'll be right with you, but I've gotta talk to Black Canary first." When Batman raises an eyebrow at him, Tim gives him shy sweet smile number seven. "I just want to reassure her that I've done this before, and that I'll be fine, you know. There's no sense in making her worry the entire time." Bruce looks like he's reassessing his first impression of Tim, which just makes Tim want to laugh. It hasn't been this easy to manipulate Batman since he was Robin.

Tim takes off in the direction of the training area, hoping that he'll still find Dinah there. He breathes a sigh of relief when he enters the room to find her pummeling a training dummy. Tim knows better than to sneak up on someone when they are in the middle of making a practice dummy look like a natural disaster victim, so he deliberately scuffs his foot against the floor. Dinah spins around clearly ready for another fight with Batman. Tim can see when she registers that it's him, because she visibly relaxes. "Is there something that you needed, Red Robin?"

Tim sighs as he steps closer. He doesn't actually know how to do this. He's never really had to go to an adult for help with something that wasn't directly related to him...well, no one except for Dick, but Dick rarely acts his age. "I think it would be a good idea if you took an interest in Red Arrow."

Black Canary's eyes narrow at that. "Why? What do I need to know?"

Tim shakes his head. "I don't have any conclusive data yet, but it would be in everyone's best interest if he was aware that, not only does he have people who care about him, but he has someone to turn to when things become difficult. Someone who won't judge him, isn't his own age, and doesn't have anything to gain or lose from his...indiscretions. Someone who he knows would never turn him away."

Her brow furrows at that. "What? I assure you that Green Arrow would never..."

Tim holds up his hand to stop her. "I know I don't know this Green Arrow, but I've spoken with Red Arrow enough to know that he needs someone beyond his mentor. He needs someone who he doesn't have...issues with."

She stares at him for a long moment. Clearly, Dinah wants to ask him more questions, and really Tim can't blame her. He's pretty sure that if he was in her position, he'd be demanding to know everything that Tim's not saying, but he also knows that she's spoken to the team enough about him to know that it wouldn't do her any good to demand such things from him. After another moment or two, she nods at him. "I'll...I'll speak with him as soon as I can."

Tim turns to leave, satisfied that he's done what he can for the moment, but before he gets a chance to take more than a few steps away, Canary's voice stops him in his tracks. "Hey, Red."

Tim turns back to her, and he's a little surprised to see such a deep level of concern directed towards him. "Yeah?" Tim is actually uncomfortable with the amount of emotion in his voice right now. He doesn't normally sound this confused even when he's puzzling out one of The Riddler's games.

Black Canary smiles at him sadly. "Be careful out there. I know that you're well trained, but the Arkham escapees are..."

"I know. I've dealt with them on my own world. I assure you."

She nods at him. "I know, but you have to understand something. Batman has never allowed Robin to track down more than one of them on his own, and he's never allowed him to face The Joker without backup."

Tim sighs to himself. "I know the risks, Black Canary, and we both know that if Batman didn't think that I was capable of holding my own he wouldn't allow me to do this...especially not in his city."

She huffs out a breath and smiles down at the ground. "What can I say? Part time den mother...I worry."

Tim smiles shyly back at her. "Thank you...that...means a lot actually. I know I'm not a member of the team, but it's nice to know that someone cares."

She looks as though she's ready to hug him, and Tim's caught off-guard by how much that doesn't bother him. She shakes her head, and then makes a shooing motion towards the door. "Go-before I get a lecture for holding you up."

Tim's smile only grows wider. "You'll probably get one anyway." He listens to the sound of her laughter as he goes to meet Batman by the entrance to the HQ.

Batman, predictably, doesn't say anything when Tim meets up with him, but he does give Tim a look-one that Tim doesn't know how to decipher. He's about to just come out and ask, but before he gets a chance, Batman calls out to the computer. When Tim hears the computer respond, "Recognized Red Robin 0719" he isn't sure what to think.

Fortunately, Tim doesn't get a lot of time to dwell on it. In a flash, they're in Gotham. Tim would recognize the city, no matter the changes. It feels like coming home in a way that he wasn't prepared for. Tim takes a moment to reorient himself, and he gets another hard stare from Batman, but he knows what this particular expression means. It's the get to work glare, and it makes Tim want to laugh. Instead, however, he simply holds out his gloved hand for the transmitter and tracer that he knows Batman will insist that he use...not that Tim has any intention of arguing. "I'm sure that you've already put one tracer on me, but the communicator may prove to be useful."

This time Tim does get a smirk from Batman as he slips the two little devices into Tim's open palm. He isn't sure how to feel about a Batman that is this expressive, but he guesses it makes sense, given everything that this world hasn't been through. "Don't overestimate them. Call if you need backup."

Tim nods once, and heads for a rooftop. This almost feels like his first night out as Robin. He has to pause on a rooftop for a few moments to get used to the new terrain. While this is still Gotham, it's not exactly the same as back home...not that Tim was expecting it to be. He finds it surprising that, for an Arkham breakout, the city is so quiet. This is a city that has never lost a hero before, and the contrast is nearly startling. He heads toward Robinson Park first, knowing that it's the most likely place to find Poison Ivy. Tim knows that she's not the easiest villain to subdue, but he's gotten good at placating the version of her on his own world. He just hopes that this Poison Ivy doesn't have any reason to attack first and ask questions later.

When Tim gets to the park he doesn't even need to go inside to see that the vegetation is flourishing far more than it should be for this time of year. It doesn't take a genius to know that he chose the right place to come to find Ivy. He treads lightly through the overgrown trees, carefully stepping to keep from crushing any plants. He doesn't want to give Ivy a reason to attack if he can help it. The further Tim gets into the park, the faster the plant life seems to be growing. He can see flowers blooming right before his eyes, causing the air to smell sweet and heavy with their fragrance. He knows that he's getting closer to her.

Tim's watching for any winding roots and vines. He's been caught off-guard by Ivy's seemingly harmless plants enough in the past to know to be on high alert. However, that doesn't mean that Tim can do anything when a weeping willow wraps it's branches around him, and slams him into it's thick trunk. He doesn't bother to struggle. After all, he wanted to speak to Ivy, and upsetting her by setting fire to her pet tree will only ensure that negotiations don't go well. He waits calmly for her to emerge from somewhere within the thick vegetation. It takes her longer than he expected, but soon enough two large trees part to allow Ivy entry into the little grove her plants have created.

She takes a long moment to look him up and down, and Tim just stays silent and allows her to take her time. "You aren't who I was expecting." She takes another long look at his clothes. "Are you friends with the little Boy Wonder?"

Tim will never get used to anyone referring to Dick as little, and he hopes he'll never have to. He takes a deep breath, and settles in for the usual banter. "I'm kind of new in town. Go by the name Red Robin, if that answers your question. Anyway, I wanted to speak with you."

Ivy smiles at him in a predatory way. "Oh, little bird, you want to speak with me? I'm flattered. Now, what is it that you could possibly want from little ol' me?" She gets closer than Tim is strictly comfortable with, and starts running a finger over the top of his cowl.

Tim suppresses the need to get away, and swallows down a biting retort. It annoys him that he can't escape the nickname 'little bird'-not even here, where he clearly isn't even the smallest bird running around. He's certain that this is going to be one of the more annoying moments of his night. "I've got a lot to do tonight. There's more than a few of you who have escaped from Arkham, and I'm hoping that you'll be the easy one to deal with."

Ivy throws back her head and laughs as she digs her fingers in against his cowl. It's one of the many reasons that Tim is happy that he switched to it from just a domino mask. "You're a silly little bird. Why should I possibly go back when I've got all of this wonderful green around me? My babies are thriving here. What could you possibly offer me as an incentive?" She's back to stroking his cowl within seconds, and it makes Tim want break her wrist.

He smirks slightly at her, and ignores her roaming hands. "Well, if you come back quietly. I won't set this lovely little grove on fire. Think about it, Ivy. You walk out of this park with me, and all of these lovely plants continue living the way they should. You don't, and they don't get to live at all."

She backs away from him, glaring the entire time, and he can see the plants in question rearing up for a fight. "And how exactly do you intend to do that? You are trapped to my beautiful willow tree, after all."

Tim narrows his eyes and allows his voice to show his annoyance by becoming gruffer. "Trust me, Ivy. I have my ways."

Her glare only intensifies. "You're bluffing."

The words aren't even out of her mouth before Tim draws two knives from his belt and begins hacking through the tree branches around him. Even with Ivy's control, weeping willow tree branches are no match for him. He lands on the ground in a crouch. "Are you sure you want to do this, Ivy?" Tim slips a handful of pellets into one hand and grabs some batarangs in the other. "'Cause I can assure you, you won't like the way that this ends."

He can tell that Ivy is too enraged by the pain that she can feel from her 'baby' to think clearly, and an angry Poison Ivy is always the most dangerous. She lets out an animalistic scream, and then plants are shooting towards him from all sides. Tim throws the explosive pellets at the plants behind Ivy, knocking her down for a split second. It's just long enough for him to dodge the plants striking at him from behind, and to throw the batarangs at the ones coming at him from the sides. He then gets in close enough to fight her hand to hand. It's not as easy as it could be, though. They're in a small space, and he still has to evade plants from every which way, but the enclosed space doesn't work for Ivy's benefit anymore than it does for him.

True, Ivy isn't trying to fend off her own plants, but in order to protect herself, she's backed herself into a corner, and that's all that Tim needs. He rolls out of the way of another plant strike, and ends up behind the little circle of plants that she's surrounded herself with. He places a small explosive and moves. He's barely out of range when he hears Ivy scream, and bits of plants go flying everywhere. Tim has to use his cape to protect himself from the foliage raining down on him. He gets out his bo staff, and calmly walks over to Poison Ivy, who is lying on the ground breathing heavily. She doesn't look that much worse for the wear, all things considered. "So, Ivy, you ready to go back to Arkham now?"

She glares at him, but doesn't make any move to attack. Tim zip-strips Ivy's hands behind her back, and drags her out of the park. He then contacts the necessary authorities. The wait is longer than he would like, but Tim can't complain. There are nights in his own Gotham where reaching the proper authorities isn't even an option, so Tim checks his supplies while he listens to Ivy babble about all of her poor plants that he destroyed. After the fifth time that she asks him how he could do such a thing, Tim feels compelled to remind her that he gave her a choice.

Once Ivy is on her way back to Arkham, Tim takes off in the direction of Crime Alley. He doesn't really have any reason to go there beyond the fact that it's Crime Alley, but for some reason Tim feels obligated to check it out. On his way there, he stops three muggings and a car jacking. It's not unusual Gotham crime, but the lack of heavy hitters is concerning. He knows how bothersome it can be when the big name villains go underground...both literally and figuratively.

Tim's standing on a rooftop above Crime Alley when he hears the unmistakable maniacal laughter of the only madman who has ever truly frightened him. He glances down and sees a kid running as fast as his scrawny little legs can carry him. The Joker is following him, laughing the entire time. Tim takes off in hot pursuit. He's jumping over rooftops, making sure to keep both the kid and The Joker in sight. Tim needs to get closer if he's going to help that kid. The Joker has the boy backed against a grimy alley wall when Tim catches up. The kid looks like he's honestly going to try to fight, despite how scared he so obviously is. Tim doesn't even know what to think about that.

The Joker is saying something-Tim can't tell what from his place on the roof-but, whatever it is, it makes the boy shake a little. The Joker then pulls out a knife, but before he can do more than flash the blade, Tim slams both of his feet into the back of him. The Joker is only down for a moment, but Tim already has his bo staff out. He'd tell the kid to run, but there's no place for him to go. Joker's got the only exit blocked, and there's no way Tim is allowing him anywhere near the boy behind him.

"You're new. I wonder if you're as fun to play with as the other birdy who's normally running around here." The Joker's smile is just as grotesque in this world as his own, but he seems to have even more of an affinity with annoying one-liners here.

Tim knows his world's Joker enough to know that the knife isn't the only concern. It's just the immediate one. He blocks Joker's view of the kid, hoping to distract him. The last thing he needs is for The Joker to decide that the new bird in town isn't worth playing with. "Drop the knife, Joker." He doesn't actually expect The Joker to comply, but it buys him some time to asses the situation a little further. The Joker is wearing one of those stupid flowers on his suit, and Tim refuses to end up as one of those clichéd face-full of acid victims. He takes out a batarang, and takes aim. He knows that there are other ways for The Joker to maim and kill him, but right now, Joker Venom and acid are his primary concerns.

"Why would I drop my knife? Where's the fun in that, birdy?" Joker glances down at the knife in question, and then his evil grin turns even more sinister. "Well, maybe you're right."

Tim barely has enough time to change tactics as The Joker throws the knife, and Tim scantily manages to block the knife with his staff. It would have been easier if the knife had been aimed at him, but as it is, Joker was definitely aiming at the kid behind him. Tim knows that he's run out of time. The Joker has been staring past him this entire time, fixated on the kid who was willing to fight him with nothing but his fists. Tim knows that if he doesn't take The Joker out fast and hard, this boy will be in far greater jeopardy than he already is.

Tim throws his batarang, slicing through the flower on The Joker's chest. He sees the rage take over the clown's face when he realizes what Tim has done, and Tim knows that it's on now. He waits one moment longer to make sure that the flower problem has been sufficiently dealt with, and then he moves in, jabbing with his staff, and kicking as hard as he can. He can hear bones breaking under his boots, but Tim doesn't care. He knows what this sadistic clown is capable of, and he won't let it happen here...not if he can help it. Tim blocks a sloppy kick with his staff, and punches The Joker in the face. He doesn't waste any time before sweeping Joker's feet out from underneath him. The Joker lands with a heavy thud on the dirty ground. He's laughing through bloody lips and the pain of a few broken ribs, and staring up at Tim as though he's something funny. Tim's not naive enough to believe that the danger is over with, and when he sees Joker reach for something in his pocket Tim doesn't wait to find out what it is before he breaks The Joker's wrist.

There's a sharp intake of breath before The Joker's arm falls to the ground limply, and he stares up at Tim with a bloody smile. "Turns out you are more fun than Wonder Boy, after all."

Tim doesn't respond, nor does he hesitate to bring his staff down hard, effectively knocking out The Joker. He's about to spin around to make sure that the kid behind him is okay, when the boy in question comes rushing at him with Joker's knife in his hand. Tim almost misses catching the kid before he plunges the knife into The Joker's heart, but at the last second he manages to grab the boy. He forces the kid to drop the knife, and then holds him close. "It's okay. He won't hurt you. It's okay."

The kid is shaking, so Tim wraps him in his cape. "He said that he was going to carve me up...that he was going to..." The kid cuts himself off with a hard shake of his head, and Tim's more than a little surprised that he sounds more angry than scared right now. "He shouldn't be allowed to do that to anyone ever again."

Tim doesn't know what to say to that, so he simply tightens his hold on the boy. "It's gonna be okay, alright? I'm going to contact the proper authorities, and..."

"No!"

Tim is caught off-guard by the sudden outburst...enough that he looks down, and Tim's stomach drops with recognition. He'd know those blue-green eyes anywhere. It doesn't matter that this kid is too thin for his height. He's still got some considerable bulk for his age, and Tim's mouth goes dry when he realizes exactly how old this kid has to be...considering Dick's age. Tim swallows hard and tries to make himself sound steadier than he is. "Jason, listen, this is the way that it has to be. Despite what you may think, the world wouldn't actually be a better place if vigilantes killed."

The kid's eyes widen at the mention of his name, and then his gaze darts all around trying to find an escape from this scary guy who knows too much. "How...how do you know my name?"

Tim unfurls his cape from around the boy a little. "I know a lot more than just your name, Jason Todd, and, just so you know, stabbing unconscious people is more than a misdemeanor." Tim sighs to himself. This is definitely going to be a long night.

The End (for now)


	9. Chapter 9

Tim doesn't have a choice. He has to take Jason home. He just hopes that he can get through to him before they get there, but first they have to wait for the cops, because there is no way that Tim is leaving Joker-even if he is unconscious and tied up-unsupervised. He keeps a hold on Jason's arm the whole time that they wait, and once Tim is absolutely sure that The Joker is properly detained, he instructs Jason to lead him to his home. Jason seems extremely reluctant to do so, but Tim isn't relenting. After a twenty minute debate, Jason finally sighs and then starts marching off, presumably in the direction of his home.

Tim doesn't want this walk to be one long lecture, but he has to at least try to get through to Jason. He attempts to be gentle with him, but Jason doesn't seem too receptive of the whole thing. "I know you're not happy with the way that I handled things back there, but you have to understand that this is the only way people like me can work. If we went around killing, we'd be no better than the people we fight against, and then instead of working with the cops, they'd be chasing us."

Jason huffs out a breath, and tries to pull ahead, but Tim still has a firm grip on his arm. "Yeah, sure, fine, whatever."

Tim sighs. Short of getting into a fight with this child-which he refuses to do-there's not much more that he can say. It's ultimately up to Jason to decide what kind of person he wants to be, and Tim highly doubts that anything he says is going to make an impact. Still, he tried. He guesses that, for now, that has to be enough.

When they finally get to Jason's apartment, Jason pauses outside and glares at Tim. "You're going to tell my mom about tonight, aren't you?" He's got his arms folded over his chest, and he looks really upset at the prospect.

Tim can't help himself. He has to kneel down to be at eye level with Jason, and then he shakes his head. "No, I'm not; but I am going to give you this." He hands Jason a small device, and waits patiently for the kid to take it. "This is a communicator. If you get into trouble or need anything at all you are to push this button right here," Tim points to indicate where he means. "And this will connect you to me. You are to call me immediately if something happens. Is that understood?"

Jason nods as he tucks the little communicator away in one of his pockets. This isn't exactly what Tim had in mind when he linked his tech to the stuff back at the team's HQ, but he figures it's as good a use for it as any. He gestures for Jason to head on inside, but instead Jason holds up his index finger as a sign for Tim to stay where he is for a moment. "Wait, you gave me something, so I have to give you something." Tim shakes his head, but Jason insists. "That's how it works, so just wait here for a sec, okay?"

Tim doesn't get a chance to protest before Jason ducks into his apartment. When he reappears a few minutes later he's holding a small toy soldier. He presses it into Tim's hand. "Here, take it. I know it's not much, but he's one of my favorites."

Tim shakes his head, and tries to shove the little figure back into Jason's hand. "I couldn't possibly take him. He's far too valuable to you."

Jason thrust the tiny soldier into Tim's hand before he backs away a step or two. "No, I want you to have him, because you saved me. My mom likes to call him the lucky soldier, 'cause he got stuck down one of the vents, but we managed to get him out with a broken hanger. Maybe he'll keep you safe...or something. I don't know."

Tim doesn't know what to say. It figures that the nicest interaction that he's ever had with Jason Todd comes in the form of an interaction with a young Jason from another world. He holds the little soldier tight in his hand, and nods once. "I promise to keep him safe, then."

Jason gives him a small smile, and a wave before he ducks back into his apartment. Tim tucks the little soldier into one of the pockets on his belt, and then makes his way outside. He still has a few more Arkham escapees to catch tonight, and he doesn't really want to have to explain to this Batman why he fell off the grid for almost an hour tonight.

Tim's swinging across rooftops with no real destination. After all, it's not as though he has any leads for the locations of the rest of the Arkham escapees, but there's always plenty of petty crimes to stop in Gotham, so Tim makes a beeline for a bank robbery in progress. He's expecting run of the mill thugs-probably with guns and money in hand-which is why, when he sees a little old white-haired lady walking out of the bank with two large duffel bags in her hands, he almost stumbles over the side of the roof. Tim manages to catch himself, however, and watches for a few moments.

He can't honestly believe that this woman, who looks far too well dressed for a bank heist, planned this all on her own. He's waiting for her to make her way to a getaway car-or at least for some large goons to surface-when he sees her calmly-almost as if in a daze-walk over to a completely inconspicuous looking vehicle, and place the bags inside the silver sedan before slowly walking away. Tim isn't exactly sure what's going on, but he knows that he has to follow that car. The driver isn't even driving like he or she is trying to get away from a bank heist. The person is simply following all of the rules of the road, driving at a respectable speed, which makes at least one part of his night a little easier.

He follows the car for a good twenty blocks, before it randomly pulls into a parking lot in front of an old hat shop. Tim has absolutely no idea why the person would stop here, but then most of the things that criminals do rarely make sense. He moves to another building to get a better view as the person exits the vehicle. The person in question is quite short in stature, and is practically skipping towards the door of the shop. Tim suddenly has a bad feeling about this. What he thought was a simple bank robbery is looking to be something far more complicated. He makes his way across more rooftops until he's in a position where he can see into the shop more easily, and Tim really doesn't like what he sees.

There's a woman tied to a chair, positioned in front of a table with a tea set placed in front of her. Tim now understands why the woman from earlier appeared to be in a trance. It's because she was. He knows who he's going up against now, and, honestly, after the night that Tim has had so far he really can't imagine things getting much more bizarre. He waits until the man, who was driving the sedan (which was most likely stolen), is positioned just right, and then Tim shoots off a grapple, swings down feet first through the window, and slams into the Mad Hatter with all of the force that he can muster.

The Mad Hatter goes flying across the table, and smashes into the wall on the other side of the shop. He gets back up, and starts throwing the now scattered tea set at Tim. "No, no, no! You're supposed to be busy with the others. Don't you dare take my Alice!" Tim ducks as some teacups go sailing towards his head. "Wait, you're not the Bat. Who are you?" The Hatter pauses, but then decides it doesn't matter who Tim is as he resumes throwing teacups.

Tim leaps over the small table and puts himself between the Hatter and the woman. She doesn't seem to know whether she should be relieved or even more frightened, now that he's here. Tim figures he'll get to that in a second, but first he has to make sure that he doesn't get doused in whatever mind-altering chemicals this Mad Hatter prefers. He crouches as the Hatter throws a few saucers at him, and then slides out of the way as the Mad Hatter attempts to dump the entire contents of the teapot on his head, and then Tim spins away from the flying teapot itself. Tim has had just about enough of this evasion technique. He's managed to get the Mad Hatter a respectable distance away from the still bound woman, which is all that Tim was really waiting for.

The moment that the two of them clear the table, and the Hatter is out of things to throw at him, Tim moves in, kicking out as hard as he can, and then punching the Hatter square in the jaw. He follows that with a solid kick to the man's chest. The Mad Hatter goes crashing into the wall behind him, and Tim's about to follow that with an elbow when the Hatter holds up both hands and screams. "Stop! Stop! I'm done. I'll be good. I'll go back. You can even take Alice."

Tim huffs out a breath as he pulls the Mad Hatter to his feet, and then spins him around, and shoves him face first into the wall as he binds his hands behind his back. "Glad we could come to an understanding. Now, sit, stay, and be quiet." Tim pushes the Hatter into a sitting position on the floor, and then turns to deal with the bound woman. She stares at him, wide-eyed and a little shocked. Tim holds both hands out for her to see, in order to keep from startling her. "I'm just going to untie you, okay?"

She nods, but Tim isn't really sure that she's registering anything more than just her fear. He quickly undoes the gag in her mouth, and swiftly unties the ropes around her, and then he backs up a good foot or two to give her some space. She stands quickly, mutters a small thank you, and then runs out of the shop. Tim's half-tempted to knock the Mad Hatter out, but he doesn't actually see a valid reason to do so. Therefore, instead, he calls the cops, and then leaves.

He's on his way towards the lower east side, when his communicator goes off. Tim immediately halts on the rooftop that he had just been about to leap off of, and then reaches a hand up to his ear. "Red Robin here."

"Killer Croc has been neutralized. I'm going after Clayface. Status report." Batman's voice is gruff, and low in his ear. It's typical Batman behavior, which Tim realizes he's missed more than he thought.

Tim keeps his rueful smirk to himself as he replies. "Poison Ivy and The Joker have both been detained, and the police are on their way to pick up The Mad Hatter."

He's honestly expecting Bruce to just cut the connection, which is why he nearly falls over when he hears a, "Good job." over the line.

He's so frazzled that Tim can't even regulate his voice as he squeaks out, "Thanks."

Batman, on the other hand, is kind enough not to mention anything before he gives his next set of orders. "I'll handle the rest. Head back to the HQ."

If this was Tim's Batman, he'd probably protest and tell him that there's absolutely no reason for him to head back so soon...not while Bruce is still dealing with Clayface. As it stands, however, he doubts that his argument would mean much to a Batman who is used to dealing with a thirteen-year-old Dick Grayson, who probably frequently gets in over his head when he's having a night like Tim's. "Understood. Call if you need backup." He cuts the connection, before his face breaks out into a grin. Despite all of the craziness, it has actually been a good night for him.

When Tim gets back to the team's headquarters, he wants nothing more than to take a shower and enjoy a little down time before the team gets back from their mission, but the moment that the computerized voice dies down after stating his call sign and number he's practically thrown to the ground by both M'gann and Robin tackle hugging him. "Whoa, what did I miss?"

M'gann is the first to release him before backing off a step or two. "We thought you disappeared...that you went back home without saying goodbye."

Robin takes another moment to let go of him as well, but unlike M'gann he doesn't take a single step away. "Where were you?"

Tim's not really sure how Dick is going to take the news that he was in Gotham. He hopes that they don't end up having a massive confrontation in front of the entire team. After all, those types of conflicts rarely go well when metas get involved. "There was an Arkham breakout. Batman needed some help detaining a few of the more problematic escapees while he tracked down Killer Croc, so he asked for my help." It's the most diplomatic way that Tim knows how to phrase it, but he still braces himself for the fallout.

Robin stops and stares at him. "Whoa, he trusted you enough to go after the other Arkham criminals by yourself? That's so cool. Who did you take down?"

Tim lets out a small sigh of relief at the fact that Dick seems more interested in the action than in any insecurities he might have, and then he allows a tiny, almost imperceptible smile onto his lips. "Poison Ivy, Joker, and Mad Hatter. Batman is still dealing with Clayface and a few other small timers."

Dick looks as though he's about to start bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet as he practically drags Tim over towards the couch. "Aw man, you've gotta tell us all about it."

Tim glances around and suddenly the entire team is surrounding the couch and staring at him intently. Kaldur gestures for him to speak. "It would be interesting to hear, and we might learn something from your tactics."

Tim doesn't really know how much they can learn. It wasn't as though he tactically found Joker or the Mad Hatter. He mostly just stumbled upon them. Hell, it was more luck than anything else, and he's pretty sure they're expecting to hear a story with a little more finesse to the fighting style beyond hit hard and fast. He shrugs and tries to appear as boring as one possibly can. "There's not much to tell actually. Everything went fairly smoothly, all things considered." Besides, no one needs to know that he found a very young version of one of the brothers who frequently tries to kill him.

Kid Flash, who is sitting on the floor in front of Tim, seems absolutely devastated at the fact that that's all of the information Tim is willing to give. He starts nudging Tim's foot, trying to get more out of him. "No way. Come on, man. You've gotta tell us everything. You fought Poison Ivy for heaven's sake. That had to have been at least slightly interesting."

Wally waggles his eyebrows in a very obvious way, and Tim can't help but shake his head. "Not really. I gave her a choice to walk away from the park quietly. She chose not to. The fight ended fairly quickly, all things considered."

Superboy's brow furrows at that, obviously confused by Tim's decision. "You gave her a choice to walk away? Why?"

Tim huffs out a breath at that. He really wasn't expecting that question. Maybe they truly could learn something from him rehashing his night, after all, or at least Superboy could. "Because she deserved the opportunity to walk away." At the disbelieving expressions that he receives all around, Tim sighs. "Look, Ivy is still nefarious, don't get me wrong, but more than anything else she cares about the well being of her plants, which means that as long as you give her a reason to believe you're serious about letting her 'babies' live unharmed she can be reasoned with."

M'gann floats over to sit in the vacant seat on the other side of Tim. "If that's the case, then why did she still fight you?"

Tim shrugs, and then settles more comfortably onto the couch. It doesn't look as though he's going anywhere any time soon. He mourns the loss of a shower, but it'll be there once this conversation is over. "I would presume it's due to the fact that I'm new around here. The Ivy from my world knows that I'm sincere when I tell her that as long as her plants don't pose a threat to anyone they won't be harmed. This Poison Ivy hasn't had the opportunity to trust someone like me yet."

Robin turns in his seat on the couch next to Tim to face him more fully. "So, you're saying that Batman is wrong to go in flamethrowers blazing when we deal with Ivy?"

Tim shakes his head. He was really hoping to steer clear from the 'how often do you disagree with Batman' conversation for the duration of his stay here, but Tim does actually know better than to hope for such things. "It's a case by case basis. Depending on what Ivy is up to, how many people she is putting in danger, and how many people she intends to harm sometimes it's better to just hit her where it hurts."

Dick takes a moment to think that over before nodding once. "That makes sense."

"I assume your encounter with the Mad Hatter went a bit differently."

Tim can't help but grin at Kaldur. Clearly, he is desperately trying to keep this conversation on track, and it makes Tim want to laugh. He knows what it's like to be surrounded by people who love to get off topic. He inclines his head, before allowing himself to show his chagrin. "Well, yes, I think it's fair to say that. I knew where to find Ivy. After all, it's pretty obvious. There's only so many places for a plant loving individual to go in Gotham, but I had no idea I was going to stumble upon the Mad Hatter when I did."

Tim tells them about the entire encounter, and he's honestly a little surprised when they don't mock him for stumbling onto that particular individual. However, he is caught off-guard when M'gann holds up a hand to stop him. "Wait, I don't get it. Why did he need the money if he already had his Alice?"

"The chemicals that he needs to control people are expensive, and I got the impression that that particular woman wasn't very susceptible to the Mad Hatter's charms. Anyway, what about you guys? Tell me about your mission."

"It went well. Everyone performed admirably." Kaldur is the first one to speak, and he's smiling at each and every one of his team members with great pride.

Wally is grinning just as wide as ever as he smacks Tim's leg. "You should see what I brought back for the trophy room. It's pretty sweet."

Tim reminds himself to have a talk with Black Canary about Wally's trophy obsession. It's just a bit too "serial killer" for Tim's comfort, but, then again, Bruce has an entire section of the cave devoted to trophies, so he guesses there's not much that he can say on the matter. Still, it might be prudent of him to at least keep an eye on Wally. The boy could definitely use some manners if his eating habits are anything to judge by.

Robin is the next one to chime in excitedly. "It was actually really fun. It was just supposed to be a recon mission, but then this gang started trouble, and we actually all worked really well together."

Tim smiles a little brighter at that. It's good to hear that the team is finally starting to act like one. "That's all great to hear."

Even Superboy looks pleased with himself when he tells him, "And I didn't even accidentally demolish anything."

Tim can't but laugh at that. "Well, that's good." He then turns to M'gann. "You're awfully quiet about the mission. Did something happen?"

M'gann shakes her head. "No, no, actually it went really well."

Wally nudges her leg. "Stop being so modest. You were awesome. She totally took out five gang members all by herself. It was amazing."

M'gann laughs at Wally's praise. "It wasn't that special."

Superboy shakes his head at her. "I thought it was pretty cool."

M'gann blushes slightly and inclines her head. "Thank you."

Tim figures now is as good a time as any to escape. He stands abruptly and stretches. "Well, I'm going to go get a shower, and then head to bed. You guys have a good night."

He doesn't get a chance to get away before Robin has a fistful of his cape. "We're actually planning on having a movie night if you want to join us after your shower."

Tim pauses and glances around at all of their genuinely hopeful faces. He's not really that tired, and it's not as though he's used to going to bed this early anyway. With a lack of a good reason to tell them no, and their downright puppy dog eyes, Tim inclines his head, and mutters out a small, "Sure, why not?"

He makes his way over to the door, and doesn't miss the resounding, "Yes!" as he heads toward his room and the awaiting shower.

The End (for now)


	10. Chapter 10

Tim is once again sitting in the library with about three different books opened to various pages lying out in front of him, but this time he's not focused on a single one of them. Instead, he's staring at the little toy soldier he got from Jason over a week ago, which is sitting on top of his notebook, while he fiddles with his comm. He hasn't heard a single peep from the communicator that he gave Jason, and Tim honestly isn't sure if that means that there hasn't been any trouble or if that means Jason tossed the thing out of defiance. He really wouldn't put it past the kid.

Tim sighs to himself as he tucks the tiny plastic figure back into the pocket of his belt where he's taken to carrying it around, and considers checking up on the kid. He technically could if he wanted to. Since the night he helped out with the Arkham escapees, Tim has permission to come and go as he pleases. He hasn't taken advantage of that privilege, however. He doesn't see a reason to. After all, it's not as though there's anywhere for him to be or anything for him to do. He figures his time is better spent here trying to find a way home. Tim still hasn't figured out who he's going to transfer the Jason issue to once he finds a way back, but he'll work on that later. Right now, he has to pack up his things and meet the team for another training session. It's something else to focus on, and Tim is grateful for it.

When he walks into the training room, Tim is pleased to see the whole team ready to go. He glances toward Kaldur, who seems to have gathered the whole team around him. Tim's not sure what they're discussing, but it's good to see Kaldur looking confident in his role as leader. He's not really in any rush to get this training session started. After all, none of them have anything planned for today, and the longer Tim spends with them here, the less time he'll spend in the library obsessing over trying to find a way to send himself home.

It's not long, however, before Kaldur notices him leaning against the door. "You could have interrupted. We were merely discussing what movie we should watch tonight and how to convince you to join."

Tim smiles at Kaldur's honesty, while the rest of the group looks mildly annoyed with him. "I don't actually have anything planned for this evening, so as long as you guys don't let Wally pick the movie, I'm game."

The whole team readily agrees with the exception of Wally, who definitely appears to be affronted by the conditions. "Hey, what's wrong with my movie picks?"

Tim stares at him impassively. "There are only so many times I can handle watching Spaceballs."

Wally petulantly folds his arms over his chest. "Spaceballs is a great movie."

Tim nods. "Yeah, it is, but only the first twenty times."

Robin grins brightly up at Tim from his seat on the floor, and Tim wonders if it says something about how long he's been here that he barely compares him to his own Dick Grayson. "It's okay. It's Superboy's turn to pick anyway."

Wally sulks even further with that news. "Great, more nature documentaries."

Superboy shakes his head. "Nah, the last one had monkeys in it. I've moved on to astronomy documentaries."

Wally rolls his eyes. "Oh, that's even better. Tell me it's at least narrated by someone interesting."

Superboy just shrugs, looking like he doesn't understand what Wally means by 'someone interesting', and that's when Tim decides to take over this conversation before a fight can break out. "I actually like documentaries. I look forward to whatever you pick, Superboy, but right now we should get to work."

Robin jumps to his feet and rubs his hands together. "Alright, what do you have in store for us today?" He seems genuinely excited, which is always refreshing to see, especially when compared to the rest of the team's groan.

Tim can't help but laugh at Dick's enthusiasm. It's so much like his big brother, and yet so different, that Tim often has to remind himself that this isn't some crazy de-aging spell and he can't just blurt out 'are you ever going to grow up?' because this Dick Grayson is, in fact, thirteen. "Okay, we're going to be working on team building, which means each one of you will be limited in some capacity. Also, some of you have been working on different things with me individually, and today I'd like to see you guys use those things together."

They all glance at each other uncertainly for a long moment before M'gann smiles reassuringly at the team. "We can do this, guys. I'm sure it'll be great."

The others don't seem convinced in the slightest, but no one says anything negative, so Tim counts it as a win. He claps his hands together once to get their attention. "Kaldur, for today's exercise, you'll only be allowed to use your bo staff...no other weapons or magic." Kaludr nods and goes to retrieve his practice staff. Tim turns his attention to the rest of them. "Robin, you're prohibited from using your right arm and projectile weapons. Wally, your left leg is out of commission from this moment on. M'gann, you won't be allowed to fly or use any form of telepathy or shape shifting. And finally, Superboy, for today you can't leap anything higher than Robin and you'll be caring around this," Tim holds out an egg, "in your left hand." He then turns to address all of them. "You'll be running through the obstacle course I set up earlier. If the egg is damaged or anyone breaks the perimeters that I have set out, you all will start back at the beginning of the course. The training session ends when all of you make it to the end of the course together."

Superboy stares down at the egg in his hand with a nervous expression. "You hate me, don't you?"

Tim pats him on the shoulder awkwardly. "You'll be okay. You've been doing really well in our sessions."

Superboy doesn't look reassured in the least. "I still pulverize fruit."

Tim shrugs. "Only when you're really frustrated. Trust me, it'll be fine."

Superboy sighs before glaring down at the egg lying in his palm. He scowls at it the entire way to the start of the course. Once Kaldur comes back with his staff in hand, he turns toward Tim. "When would you like us to start?"

Tim shakes his head and raises both of his hands, pushing them away from himself. "They're your team. You instruct them when to start and how to move. I'm just here to give suggestions."

Kaldur wearily glances at the course before turning back towards his team. Tim has to admit that he's a little proud of this particular training exercise, specifically this course. He set it up with both offensive and defensive obstacles for every member, and he's particularly fond of the sandbags ready to take out anyone who doesn't watch their step after the climbing wall and tire barrier. It won't be easy for them to get through this course, especially if they don't work together to do so. Tim sits down and watches as Kaldur starts giving out orders. The tactic is a good one and if everyone does what he says they'll make it a third of the way through the course before Kaldur will have to change his plan of attack.

Tim doesn't foresee them getting that far, though, especially when Dick forgets to give M'gann a heads up when he crosses over the high beam and the two go careening into each other. They both hit the mats below hard, but neither one of them breaks the rules, so Tim stays silent as he watches them try to figure out how to get back up onto the beam. It's too high for M'gann to just jump up, and, while Dick could easily flip back onto it, without the use of his arm he can't pull M'gann up. Tim is two seconds away from reminding Dick to communicate with his teammates when Kaldur does it for him. It pleases Tim immeasurably to see them reminding each other of such things.

Kaldur directs Superboy to go help M'gann, which frees up Robin to flip back onto the beam and make his way over to Wally, who Superboy was helping to get across the hanging net over the pool of water. That's another aspect of this exercise that Tim's quite pleased with himself for…mainly because of how much time it took to set that particular obstacle up. After all, cutting the various gaps into the net was a tedious process. He considers mentioning something about those gaps to Robin and Wally, but he figures it's a little too late for that when Wally's left leg falls through one of the gaps, and in the struggle to remove his leg twists the net so that both Dick and he fall into the water below.

They both get to their feet immediately, allowing the water to run off of them in rivulets, before glaring up at Tim. "Did you seriously put glitter in the water?" Wally's face is an angry red, while Dick is quietly laughing.

Tim merely shrugs. "I thought it would be a nice incentive to keep you guys focused."

Wally huffs as he hops on his right foot, to keep from breaking the restrictions. "I swear you're absolutely sadistic."

Tim smiles sweetly, which seems to only enrage Wally further. "I do try. Now, I suggest you two find some way to get back up onto the net without using your leg or arm."

Both of them groan and start looking around for the easiest way to get back up. Robin turns around a few times before turning an irritated glare onto Tim. "You know, when you said you wanted us to work on team building I honestly didn't expect something so…involved."

Tim smirks evilly at him. "Sorry, Rob, but I was taught to expect the unexpected and work around all normal limitations."

Dick grins back before making a run for the nearest pole that's holding up the net, jumping and using his one arm to shimmy his way back up to the net. He leaps up to the underside of the net, latching on with his left hand, and swings his legs back and forth until he has enough momentum to propel himself up over the side of the net, so that he's topside. Dick climbs over to where Wally is standing underneath the net and glances down to him. "Do you think you can hop over to that pole and shimmy your way up to the net? I can probably help you up from there."

Wally peers over at the pole in question before turning his gaze back to Dick. "You're joking, right? I spend my time running…not lifting weights. I don't have that kind of upper body strength, and certainly not without the stability of being able to wrap both legs around the pole."

Dick huffs out a breath of annoyance. "Well, then maybe you should work with Red Robin on that."

Tim can't stop himself from barking out a short laugh, and Wally whips around to glare at him. "You're enjoying this far too much over there."

Tim just shrugs. "What can I say? It's amusing." He ignores whatever comeback Wally comes up with in favor of checking out how the others are faring. Superboy, M'gann, and Kaldur seem to be doing well with the undulating ropes. Kaldur is carrying Superboy, who can't swing from rope to rope and hold the egg at the same time, and they all seem to be making good progress. At least, that is until M'gann's hand slips. She lets out a scream, which causes Superboy to reflexively clench his hand shut, thus smashing the egg and getting it all over himself as well as Kaldur, and without thinking M'gann saved herself from the fall by hovering in the air. Tim whistles loudly to gain everyone's attention. "Superboy crushed the egg and M'gann broke the no flying rule. Everyone move back to the beginning of the course."

There are simultaneously five very distinctive moans as they all make their way back to the other side of the room. Tim hands Kaldur and Superboy a towel to wipe themselves off with, before giving Superboy another egg. Tim expected there to be a lot of eggs lost in this endeavor and made sure to bring a couple dozen. He just hopes that it's enough. Superboy holds the egg as delicately as possible while he stares at it like it's going to explode at the slightest touch. Tim pats him on the shoulder. "You got pretty far before M'gann's scream startled you."

"Yeah, I guess." Superboy is still staring at the egg like it's the bane of his existence.

Tim gives him a sympathetic grin before gesturing to Kaldur to instruct his team. Kaldur squares his shoulders and takes a deep breath before addressing each member. "Robin and Kid, try to stay away from the net…with both of you down a limb you won't be able to get across without causing the other to fall. M'gann, remember to just let yourself fall."

M'gann nods before rolling her shoulders. "Right, sorry about that."

Kaldur puts his hand on her shoulder and squeezes once before letting go. "It's alright. I know it's just instinct, but try your best."

She gives him a small shy smile. "I will, promise."

Kaldur faces Superboy next. "You did fairly well, but remember to keep the egg safe, no matter what."

Superboy huffs out a breath. "Easier said than done."

Kaldur glances back over to Tim, who has resumed lounging by the door, and then gives the signal for everyone to move. They don't even make it to the third obstacle before Wally forgets what he's doing and uses both legs. Tim calls them all back to the start, and settles into his position by the door. He knows that this is going to be a long training session, and he doesn't expect them to progress very far for at least another four or five tries. After all, they haven't even gotten to the obstacles that will require them to dodge and defend themselves while they make their way today the end of the course. However, they are doing exceedingly well considering all of the restraints he's given them.

On the next try, Kaldur misses an opportunity to use his bo staff, which is collapsed and in the holster on his leg, to block a wayward Robin, who's overzealousness on the high beam causes him to careen into Superboy, thus breaking the egg once again. Tim once again whistles to call them all back to the beginning. They set up to go again, and Tim can see how this exercise is starting to grate on all of their nerves, but he knows it's a necessary evil, so as he passes Superboy another egg and ignores all of their grumbling.

This time around M'gann is in charge of getting Wally across the obstacles that he can't hop his way through, which seems to be working well for them. She doesn't have the strength to just carry him like Superboy or Kaldur, but Wally is a speedster and as such isn't extremely heavy, all things considered, so him leaning on her isn't the greatest hindrance that they have to deal with. However, Dick seems to keep forgetting that not everyone was raised in a circus, and therefore the rest of the members of the team really can't just twist midair to land on impossibly high objects. He keeps leaving at least one member stranded, which Tim can tell is going to be their downfall this time.

It isn't long before Tim's hypothesis is proven correct. In fact, the third time that he leaps over something, expecting the person behind him to simply follow suit, it's Kaldur, who ends up stranded in the middle of the sandbag obstacle. He takes a hit that knocks him off of the tire he's standing on, and without a second's hesitation Kaldur uses his bo staff to keep himself from falling all the way to the floor, which Tim is actually pretty impressed with, but the moment is shattered when another sandbag slams into the bo staff, and Kaldur immediately uses his hydrokinesis to save himself. Tim whistles again, and the others head back to the start once again.

Kaldur stares at his team forlornly. "I apologize. It was a natural reaction."

M'gann nudges him with her elbow. "It happens."

Robin rubs the back of his head sheepishly. "Actually, I think that round was my fault. I keep forgetting that you guys aren't able to just flip over stuff like me."

Tim grins at Dick realizing his own mistake. They are all getting better, whether they know it or not, and he's just about to tell them so when his communicator goes off. The entire team turns toward the sound of the small, unfamiliar beep, but Tim merely holds up a hand to signal for them to stay put. "Red Robin here."

The voice on the other end is young and unsure. "Um, you said to call if there was trouble, and I doubt you can help, but…you said to call, so this is me calling."

Tim is honestly shocked that Jason's contacting him, but he keeps his voice even as he responds. "Where are you?"

Jason pauses for a moment, and Tim is two seconds away from demanding an answer when the kid squeaks out. "Home…I'm home."

Tim wants to sigh in relief, but instead he simply does a mental check of his equipment. He's just happy that he always trains with the team in full uniform. "I'm on my way." He cuts the connection before turning back toward the team. "I'm needed elsewhere." Tim doesn't bother to answer any of their questions before making his way to the Zeta-Tubes. He just hopes that Jason hasn't gotten himself in over his head or anything.

The End (for now)


	11. Chapter 11

He's running as fast as he can across rooftops, trying to get to Jason as quickly as possible. Just this once, Tim wishes he had asked for details. He hates walking into the unknown, but he didn't want to alarm the team. After all, Tim really didn't think having a bunch of meta humans and Robin descending on Jason's rundown apartment was a good idea. Most kids probably would have been ecstatic to see all of the teen heroes, but Tim is fairly certain Jason isn't one of them. He gets to the apartment building where he had walked Jason to the week before and does a perimeter check before making his way up the outside of the building to the correct window. Making sure to stay out of sight, Tim glances through the uncovered window into the dim apartment. There doesn't seem to be anything amiss, and Tim really doesn't want to startle Jason, so he knocks lightly three times on the windowpane.

He can hear shuffling from inside before Jason's young face is staring at him in astonishment. He gestures for the boy to open the window, and Jason complies almost immediately. The moment the window is open, Jason steps aside to let him in. "Jesus, you're creepy. Who the hell uses windows, you nutter?" Once Tim is fully in the window, Jason busies himself with closing it and locking the little black plastic latch at the top. "And…you came."

Jason sounds honestly surprised that Tim showed up, which probably says far more about the boy than Tim ever wanted to know. "Windows are the best point of entry to any building. Even Batman thinks so, and of course I came. I said I would, didn't I?"

Jason shakes his head as though he can't really believe what he's seeing. "Yeah, but people say shit like that all the time. It don't mean squat."

Tim sighs and mourns the fact that he can't run his fingers through his hair with the cowl on. "First, no kid your age should be using that kind of language, and second, it's 'it doesn't mean squat'."

Jason shrugs. "Whatever, I didn't call you here for a lecture and a grammar lesson, smarty pants."

Tim ignores Jason's jibe as he sets his jaw. "Why did you call me, Jason?"

Before Jason can say anything the window explodes as a body crashes through it and there's the sound of glass shattering. Tim immediately dives on top of Jason, making sure that his cape is completely protecting them both from the shards. He doesn't even get a second to register what just happened before a very familiar voice is scolding him. "I can't believe you ditched us for this kid. How the heck did you even meet him? You've only left the HQ once."

Tim shakes out his cape as he stands and faces a very angry looking Robin - keeping Jason behind him - and reminds himself to schedule more training for Dick. Clearly, they need to work on why it's a bad idea to rush in without all of the facts first. "Should I even bother asking how you found me?"

Dick honestly looks smug as he crosses his arms over his chest, and Tim can feel Jason tensing behind him. "Batman had me put tracers on your suit the first time we sparred. I hacked them and followed you."

Tim sighs heavily. He really should have seen that one coming. It's what he would have done, after all. "Of course, you did, but why did you follow me?"

Dick's cheeks color slightly, and he actually looks a bit sheepish now. "I…I thought B needed help and called you instead of me." The admission makes Tim's stomach roll, and he reminds himself to have a long talk with Dick once this is all over. "But that still doesn't explain who the kid is or how you met."

Tim steps aside, allowing the two boys to see each other fully. "Robin, this is Jason. I saved him from The Joker last week and he needs my help again, which is why I'm here."

Dick's eyes obviously widen behind the mask, and he suddenly looks quite embarrassed about all of this. "Um, hi, sorry about your window, but whatever's going on we'll be happy to help."

Tim's about to protest, but he doesn't have it in him to send Dick away, especially not if he's so worried that Bruce is going to replace him, and Tim figures it might be nice to have some backup for a change. Jason, on the other hand, doesn't seem all that impressed with Robin, and merely glares at him. "Right, sure, like you're really going to help."

Tim interjects before the two of them can get into a fight. He kneels down in front of Jason and grabs a hold of his shoulders. "Hey, I promise I'll do everything I can to help you, but you have to tell me what's going on, okay?" Jason is still staring at him skeptically, so Tim digs into one of the pockets on his belt and pulls out the toy soldier. "I promise to keep you safe, just like I promised to keep him safe. Got it?" Tim tucks the little figurine back into his belt as he waits for Jason's answer.

Jason nods before biting his lip and he looks really damn anxious, which in turn makes Tim nervous. If the boy got himself into something big, he might have to call in the rest of team, if not Batman himself. Jason breathes out a heavy sigh before setting his shoulders. "It's…it's my mom. She's been missing for a week. I checked her normal haunts and asked around to the other girls, but no one's seen her. I even went down to the clinic, but she hasn't been there in a month. I don't know where else to look, and this isn't like her. Sure, she's disappeared for a few days before, but never this long, and…and you have to find her."

Tim doesn't get a chance to say anything before Dick wraps his arms around Jason in a bone crushing hug. "Don't worry. We'll find her. I promise." He pauses for a moment before continuing. "And I'll have that broken window fixed, too."

Jason instantaneously goes stiff in Dick's arms - not that Dick seems to notice - before he numbly nods his head. Tim gets to his feet and instantly starts examining the apartment. "When and where was the last time anyone saw your mother?"

Jason blinks a few times before answering, and then tries to pry Dick off of him to no avail. "Um, Gale said that she saw her come into the convenience store down on 7th last Friday night, but no one has seen her since."

Tim hums to himself while he catalogs everything that he can see from his position in the middle of the bedroom, and gestures for Dick to let Jason go. There's only one mattress with a sheet thrown haphazardly onto it on the floor and a pile of patchwork blankets in the corner next to numerous heaps of clothes pushed up against the wall. The clothes - from what Tim can tell - are mostly Jason's, but there are a few articles of his mother's mixed into the piles. The walls are bare with nothing but peeling wallpaper to decorate the room. "And when was the last time you saw her?"

Jason seems only too relieved to have Dick let him go, which makes Tim want to laugh, but he needs to focus on the job. "Friday morning before she went out for a pack of cigarettes."

Tim glances down at Jason, and doesn't bother to ask why Jason didn't call him sooner. Jason's used to not having his mother around. It's apparent from the state of the apartment and the fact that Jason is so self-sufficient. "Do you mind if I have a bit of a look around? I'm just trying to trace her last steps."

Jason shakes his head, and gestures for him to have at it. Tim heads straight into the bathroom first, taking note of the various pill bottles ranging from full to empty to nearly empty and their expiration dates. He recognizes most of the names on the bottles, and makes a mental note to look up the ones he doesn't. The cracked mirror on the front of the medicine cabinet has flecks of blood on it suggesting that someone's fist put it there. There's a single bottle of generic shampoo with matching conditioner in the shower with an almost finished bar of soap, and one towel hangs over the shower curtain rail. The curtain itself looks as though it's seen better days. The only window in the bathroom is too dirty and too small for anyone to have come or gone through.

Tim then checks the kitchen, taking stock of what's in the cupboards and how much food Jason has left. There's isn't much. He's pretty much down to a jar of peanut butter, some stale crackers, and a few expired canned goods. The kitchen is the only room that is relatively clean, suggesting that no one really uses it to cook, which isn't surprising. If Jason is left to his own devices more often than not, which is what the evidence suggests, Tim doubts the boy wastes much time on attempting to cook things, when he can just stick to simple things like peanut butter and jelly. Also, Tim doubts he often has enough food to make more than that.

Tim makes his way back into the bedroom where Dick and Jason are sitting on the beat up old mattress on the floor whispering to each other. He clears his throat to get their attention and they both stare up at him with big wide eyes. "Jason, I'm going to need you to write down all of the places that you looked for your mom, and anywhere that was ever important to her. I need to know where she would go if she needed to lie low for awhile and any of those types of places." He waits for Jason's nod, before he hands him a pen and paper. He gives Jason a few moments to compile his list, and when he finally hands the pen and paper back, Tim stares him directly in the eyes. "Now, I need to know if you have any friends or neighbors you can stay with until we find your mom."

Jason folds his arms over his chest indignantly. "I can take care of myself."

Tim smiles at him in a very disarming way. "I'm aware, trust me. But I don't feel right leaving you here by yourself, with a broken window, no less."

Jason huffs out a breath, evidently unhappy with the stipulations. "There's no reason for me to be a burden to my friends."

Tim shakes his head and sighs, but before he can protest Dick interrupts him. "If they're really your friends, then they won't see you as a burden."

Tim can't hide his smile, because it's just so very Dick. Of course, he always knows the right thing to say…no matter his age or what universe they're in. "Robin's right, you know? Now, do you have someone to stay with or…"

Dick jumps up at that. "Or we could take him back to HQ. I'd bet he'd love being around the team."

Tim rubs the back of his head as he tries to find a delicate way to let Dick down, but Jason gets there first. "Why the heck would I want to hang out with your friends? They're probably just as weird as you."

Dick doesn't seem to understand the problem with that and merely smiles. "Nah, they're weirder."

Tim shakes his head at both of them. "Jason can't come back to HQ with us. It's covert for a reason, remember?" Dick seems to deflate for a moment, before Tim continues. "But I'm sure you have a friend who would love some company his own age, right Robin?"

Dick's eyebrows furrow beneath the mask for a moment before he finally deciphers the meaning. "Oh, right, right. I do have a friend who would love to hang out with you, Jay. That is, if you want."

Tim doesn't know why he's surprised that Dick is already using a nickname for Jason, but it catches him off-guard, all the same, and Jason just stares at Dick skeptically, seemingly unfazed by the nickname. "One of your weird friends?"

Dick shakes his head. "Nah, he's pretty normal, all things considered."

Jason's eyes narrow at that. "What things considered?"

Dick laughs and pats Jason on the back. "Well, he grew up in a circus, so he's a little weird, but not the bad kind of weird."

Jason shakes his head and crosses his arms over his chest again. "Nah, I'd rather just stay here."

Tim heaves a large breath and lets it out slowly. "Well, that's not an option, and, since you aren't being forthcoming with a name of someone you can stay with, it looks like Robin's friend is the only choice."

Jason sighs and scuffs his shoe against his floor a couple of times before making his decision. "Mrs. Miller down the hall will watch me. She's offered before, but I can take care of myself."

Tim rolls his eyes at Jason, even though he can't see it. The kid's reiteration that he's self-sufficient is only one more reason for Tim to find him some place to stay. "Okay, well, let's go see if Mrs. Miller is home, shall we?"

Jason makes a fuss the entire way out of the apartment and down the hall, but once Tim knocks on the door of what Jason indicated to be Mrs. Miller's door, the kid instantly falls silent. After a few moments of waiting, the stained and warped wooden door creaks open to reveal a short, hunched over, woman with white hair. She has a crooked wooden cane and she glances up at Jason with a tired smile. "Jason, how are you doin', my boy? Haven't gotten yourself into any trouble, have you?"

Jason gives a small grin back. "Hi, Mrs. Miller. I'm fine, and no more than usual."

Before either of them can exchange anymore pleasantries, Tim clears his throat and smiles shyly at the old woman, trying not to startle her with the fact that two vigilantes are standing at her door - one that isn't even from this earth. "Hello, Mrs. Miller. I was wondering if you could watch Jason for a few days. He's all by himself right now and I don't feel right leaving him in an apartment with a broken window."

The woman tilts her head back far enough to see Tim's face, and, to Tim's surprised, doesn't even seem bothered by the fact that he's in full costume. It makes Tim question her eyesight, or wonder if she's just used to seeing the cape crowd around this area of Gotham. She nods before turning back to Jason. "And how exactly did the window get broken?"

Dick steps forward slightly as he flushes with embarrassment. "Um, that would be my fault, ma'am. I got a little overzealous while following my friend over there, but don't worry. I'm gonna fix it."

Mrs. Miller gives him a sharp nod. "You better, young man." She suddenly turns her attention back onto the center boy. "Now, come on in, Jason. I've got some fresh baked cookies that you and your friends can help me eat."

Tim smiles politely at the woman. "Actually, Robin and I should be on our way, but thank you for the offer."

She shrugs as much as she can, hunched over the way that she is. "Suit yourselves. Come along, Jason. Tell your friends goodbye. I know you'll eat some of my cookies. You always do."

Jason shakes his head and waves his hands back and forth. "They're not my friends."

Dick huffs out a breath and punches Jason in the shoulder. "Of course, we're your friends. Now, go eat cookies while we go find your mom."

Jason shuffles inside of the apartment and waves at them both before shutting the door. Tim heads back into Jason's apartment, taking one final look around before turning to Dick and grinning. "So, are you ready to fly, Robin?" It feels weird saying it as opposed to hearing it, but Tim doesn't let that affect his smile at all.

Dick beams back at him brightly as he spreads his arms out while holding his cape to make it look like wings. "You betcha, Red Robin." He abruptly drops his arms and deflates slightly. "Although, I don't know how I'm going to explain that broken window to Batman."

Tim chuckles softly to himself. "Tell him it was an occupational hazard." They both laugh as the launch themselves out of Jason's broken window.

The End (for now)


	12. Chapter 12

The first place they start their search for Jason's mother is her last known location. It's standard operating procedure, and Tim is sure that he doesn't need to tell Dick where they're headed. After all, he's worked with Batman long enough to know how these things work, and Tim can't imagine the strategy is any different here. Dick, for his part, seems to just be enjoying traveling from rooftop to rooftop, and Tim doesn't have the heart to tell him to take things more seriously the way Bruce would. Besides, he's saving that for when their investigation really gets going, although, Tim's not exactly sure how long that's going to take.

Jason seems to have done a lot of legwork on his own, given that he has already checked all of his mom's usual locations. However, Tim's certain that he'll be able to persuade people into giving him information where Jason had failed. After all, people are far more willing to tell someone like him things that they would normally try to protect a kid from, and Tim knows the right questions to ask. Not to mention, having Robin with him is always a perk in this part of town. Tim watches Dick laugh as he tumbles through the air, and merely shakes his head at the kid's enthusiasm. It's not as if he's unaccustomed to Dick's particular brand of whimsy, even if he's used to it from a far older Dick Grayson. He ignores Dick's exuberance - just as he always does - in favor of focusing on the task at hand, but he's been having some trouble with that lately. After all, it's been a long time since he has had to work with a partner on a missing persons case, and even longer since he's had to deal with someone with Dick's energy levels.

Tim spends the entire journey to the Seventh Avenue convenience store desperately trying not to let his mind run wild with the possibilities of what could have happened to Jason's mother. He only knows a few details about the Catherine Todd of his world from the case files on the bat computer, but what he does know doesn't leave him with too much optimism about the possible outcome of this case. It's something that Tim hasn't ever really considered, but now that he may very well have to face breaking the news to a far-too-young Jason Todd that his mother has abandoned him for good this time or worse…well, Tim's not really sure what he's supposed to do. This is hardly the first time that he's had to work on an emotionally compromising case, but this is the first time such a case has involved so many possible complications.

When they get to the convenience store, Tim signals for Dick to follow behind him. He's actually caught off guard by the lack of argument. Tim is so used to dealing with a Robin who fights him at every turn that he's actually forgotten what it's like to work with someone who just follows their elder's lead. It's refreshing, but also makes him tense at the same time, due to the lack of familiarity. Tim forces himself to relax as much as possible while they wait for the last few customers in the store to leave. It isn't long before Tim sees his opening. He makes his way to the outside fuse box and flips the fuse for the lights. He loves it when things are this easy, which is something that doesn't happen very often back in his own Gotham. He can feel Dick behind him shifting from one foot to the other, clearly wanting to simply move already. Tim waits for the lone worker to lock the door as she makes her way to the fuse box, and once again reminds himself to work on Dick's patience during training.

The worker sighs heavily as she opens the fuse box, and that's when Tim makes his move. He signals for Dick to follow him once again, and the two of them drop down behind her, making sure to make enough noise to draw her attention. The woman spins around, evidently startled by their sudden appearance. Tim made sure to land to the side of Robin, so she would have an unobstructed view of him. The recognition in her eyes and the sudden calming effect his presence has on her makes Tim want to smile. He clears his throat directing her attention to him, which causes her weariness to return tenfold. Tim holds up his hands in a pacifying gesture. "It's okay. We just have a few questions for you, Gale Hareston."

While Tim is glad that he took the time to do his research on the convenience store and Gale on his palm computer as soon as they left Jason's apartment, he wishes he had gotten more time to observe her; but Tim has a feeling that time isn't on their side. The fact that he knows her name doesn't calm her any, but she doesn't look ready to bolt, either, so Tim guesses it will have to do. "We're searching for a woman. Her name's Catherine Todd."

Before Tim can continue, Gale nods her head. "Yeah, I know Catherine. She ain't been in since last Friday. Her boy, Jason, he was in here a couple a days ago askin' about her, and I tell ya what I told him. I ain't seen her."

Tim ignores her suddenly belligerent attitude, which seems to be the standard response of any Gothamite, and presses on. "Any idea where she went after leaving your store?

Gale shakes her head, clearly annoyed by the interrogation. "Nah, I don't keep track a people once they walk out the door. I ain't runnin' a damn nursery."

Tim can't stop himself from rolling his eyes. He can tell that Dick wants to say something in response, but a sharp jerk of his hand is all it takes for him to keep Dick in check, and it makes him hate himself slightly. It's the gesture he most commonly uses with Damian, when he can tell the younger boy is about to launch into a tirade, but Tim figures whatever works right now will have to suffice. He'll apologize later when he isn't trying to get answers out of people. "Do you have a security camera that faces the street?"

Gale throws her head back and laughs. "You kiddin'? Course, I do. In this town, you gotta have your ass covered."

Tim manages not to sigh out loud in relief by biting the inside of his cheek. It's a start, even if he knows it could be a dead end. "Great, mind if we have a look at the footage from last Friday?"

Gale shrugs. "Whatcha gonna give me in exchange?"

Once again, Tim is relieved that he did his research before coming here. "Well, let's put it this way, either the police find out about the illegal fireworks you sell from a certain storage unit in Pennsylvania or they don't. It's entirely up to you."

Gale grumbles for a moment to herself as she folds her arms over her chest. "Fine, whatever. You gonna let me flip this fuse now or you got somethin' else ta say ta me?"

Tim smiles sweetly. "Nah, you can just let us into your back room and I think that'll be all. Thank you for your time, Ms. Hareston."

She doesn't say anything, but Tim can tell that she isn't at all pleased with how her night has gone. Tim waits for her to flip the fuse and unlock the door to her back room for them. She doesn't offer to help Tim find the right footage of the right day, but it's not something he's unfamiliar with, and at least, for once, he has a second pair of eyes to help him. "Well, Robin it looks like we've got our work cut out for us."

Dick smiles at him brightly. "Dude, that was awesome…like Batman awesome."

Tim still isn't comfortable with being compared to Batman, not even after all of these years and how many times he's heard it, both as a compliment and an insult. "You know, I never get used to hearing you say that."

Dick's grin only seems to grow. "So, I take it your brother compares you to him a lot."

Tim nods as he surfs through various dates, looking for the right one. "Yeah, and he doesn't always mean it as a compliment." Tim can hear the sudden strain in his voice, so he does his best to cover it with a cough, though he's sure that he doesn't fool Dick at all.

Dick folds his arms over his chest. "Well, then he's wrong, because Batman is awesome and so are you."

Tim can't help but laugh. He wonders if his own Dick remembers ever being this enamored with Bruce. When Tim met Dick for the second time, it was as if being anything like Bruce was a sin to him, and, while Dick's attitude has certainly changed over the years, that certainly doesn't mean that he isn't aware of all of Bruce's flaws and, by extension, all of Tim's. Tim shakes his head. He's unwilling to inform this Dick about all of those possible changes. He clears his throat and tries not to focus on the disconcerting feeling of working with a thirteen year old Dick Grayson. "It's time to work, Robin."

Dick just nudges him with his shoulder and grins brighter. "See, just like Batman."

Tim decides to ignore him, and if Dick's smile is slightly off for the duration of their search for the proper footage… well, there isn't much Tim can do about that anyway. It takes them hours of sifting through footage of random people coming and going from the convenience store before they find something useful. There's a short image of a woman who matches Catherine Todd's description, fumbling with a pack of cigarettes, as she exits the store and heads towards the right down Seventh Avenue. It isn't much to go on, but at least they have a direction to go from here.

Tim gestures for Robin to make his way out of the little room and he follows suit. The knowledge that he's going to have to find buildings that have security cameras facing the street, and hope they still have any footage of Catherine Todd's route, and then find a way to access that footage without the help of Oracle is daunting and frustrating. Tim has always wondered how Bruce had managed to get along without Barbara constantly feeding him information before she became Oracle, and it looks as if Tim's about to find out.

He doesn't say anything as he makes his way down Seventh, knowing that Dick will follow him without question. It's odd to think that, for once, Dick's following him and not the other way around, but Tim keeps that to himself. He systematically checks every building for cameras that could possibly get a view of the street and makes a mental note of them. He'll need time to figure out the best way to break into each of the buildings in a timely and efficient manner. It isn't until he's reached the end of the block that Tim realizes Dick's gaze is following his. "So, which buildings do I get to break into, Red Robin?"

Tim smiles as he remembers that this Dick Grayson is just as computer savvy as himself. It'll be nice to work with someone who's on his level and doesn't want him to help with upgrades or feel the need to get back at him if he wins. The thought makes Tim smirk. "You get the left side of the street. We'll download the specs of the buildings, and then whoever collects the most images of Catherine Todd's path by the time we're both done wins."

Dick grins sharply at the challenge. "Oh, you think you can beat me? I'll have you know, I'm the faster hacker on the team. You'll still be standing outside your first building by the time I'm done."

Tim's smirk only grows at Dick's boast. "Correction, you were the fastest hacker, but this is my element."

Dick laughs as they both begin downloading the blueprints to their buildings. "Yeah, we'll see about that."

The moment they both have what they need, the two of them head in separate directions. Even with the challenge keeping them both moving quickly, it's still a long and boring process of searching through days worth of, more often than not, useless footage. After breaking into the various building and gathering the necessary data, Tim has only managed to recover a handful of images of Catherine as she made her way down the street, and what he does have only leaves him with a vague idea of where their search should continue. He's lucky that Robin was able to find footage from the building on the corner that had a clear shot of Catherine ducking down a side alley.

The two of them hit the rooftops this time, and Tim takes a moment to check the list Jason gave him. He pulls up a map of Gotham on his palm computer, and he's not the least bit surprised to discover that the alley Catherine apparently took leads to an old apartment complex that Catherine frequents. He's in the process of trying to decipher the most likely reason Catherine would visit this particular building and where their search should continue, when Dick nudges him with an elbow. "Lighten up, Red. I know you're sore that you lost the competition, but that's no reason to go all grim and Batman on me." He smiles brightly at his own joke, and it takes all of Tim's self control not to roll his eyes.

Tim doesn't respond, but mostly because he's not sure what he's supposed to say. It's been some time since he's had someone tell him to lighten up, and the last person to do so was his own Dick, but the situation was completely different. For starters, they weren't in the process of following a week old trail for a missing woman that could quite frankly set Jason down a path of utter destruction and death. Tim sighs heavily to himself while he attempts to block out those particular thoughts. It's not easy; however, because Tim knows the statistics. It's been over a week. Assuming that she hasn't just left Gotham… left Jason once and for all, the likeliness that she's alive isn't high, and Tim isn't sure what he's supposed to do if that ends up being the case.

At Tim's lack of response, Dick flips onto his hands and begins pacing the length of the roof, obviously bored with the older boy. Tim tries not to cringe at how familiar that move is, and how long it's been since he's seen Dick do it. It's a shock, really, to realize how little Tim had seen of his brother before all of this happened, and worse, how little he saw Dick relax when they did meet up. Not for the first time, Tim contemplates if, possibly, it would be better if he didn't make it home. After all, it would certainly cut down on the fighting Dick has to put up with.

However, Tim doesn't get much time to think about it, because Dick is suddenly beside him nudging him again. "Hey, what's up with you? Your face got all blank like Batman's when he's thinking about…about them."

Tim doesn't need to ask who Dick is referring to. They all know Bruce's expression when he's thinking of his parents, and Tim's not sure what it says about him that he apparently mimics that same facial expression when he's thinking of home. He shakes his head, and tries to give Dick a reassuring smile, even though he knows it falls flat. "Just…just thinking about my own Gotham."

Dick raises an eyebrow and he folds his arms over his chest. "I don't think that thinking of home should make you look like that."

Tim glances down to the ground ruefully before the two of them head further down the alley towards the apartment complex. "We have work to do, Robin."

Dick laughs loudly for a good long moment. "Man, you sure you're not B's bio kid or something?"

Tim has to catch himself from nearly falling off the side of the roof when Dick's teasing question makes him stumble and still all over. He's certain that there's absolutely no way for him to cover that reaction, and he's just waiting for Dick's bombardment of questions, but what he gets instead is an arm wrapped around his shoulders and a tight squeeze. "You okay there, buddy?"

The arm is too thin, the height difference is all wrong, and the voice is too high, but the touch, the tone, and the phrasing is so much like his own Dick that Tim actually has to take a deep breath before he can steady himself. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. I just saw… something."

It's probably the lamest excuse Tim has ever given anyone, and that includes the time he told his dad he got a black eye from playing football, but Tim figures he's allowed to have a few bad lies in his arsenal. He just hopes that Dick will be kind enough to let it slide, but Tim has never been known for his good fortune. "What did you see?" It's evident that Dick doesn't believe him just by his tone.

Tim stares down at the front of the apartment complex, and nearly laughs. Things do sometimes actually work out in his favor, after all. He points at the northeast corner of the building where an obvious drug deal is going down. "It seems we may have found Catherine's motive for coming here, after all."

Dick's brow furrows at the possibility. "Do we have any reason to believe Catherine Todd is addicted to drugs?"

Tim takes a moment to consider how much he's willing to unveil to Dick, and decides that now isn't the time. "She had various prescription pill bottles in her bathroom, and a good portion of the pills were for pain…most of them were empty."

"And various drugs cause sensitivity to pain, but that doesn't mean…"

Tim holds up his hand to stop Dick from continuing. "Right now, this is the only lead we have."

Dick nods once taking his statement for the command that it was. "Lead the way, Red."

Tim puts his hand up for a signal, but before he can do more than make a sweeping motion with his hand he stops, realizing that Dick won't know that particular gesture. It's fairly new, and the thought actually halts Tim on the edge of the building for a moment. He hadn't even been thinking about the signals he used earlier… not with how easily the two of them work side by side. He clears his throat, and it's just as much to get Robin's attention as it is to give himself a moment to collect himself. "You take the buyers. I'll take the dealer."

Dick nods once again, and they both leap off the building simultaneously. The fight is predictably short. There are two buyers, and Dick takes out the first one by landing on him, and then flips off of him to confront the second. It only takes him a kick and a punch, and the guy is down and out for the count, lying on the dirty pavement next to his comrade. As for Tim's fight, the dealer takes a few more hits than either of Dick's men, but it's nothing Tim didn't account for. He's actually a little impressed that the dealer tries to fight back, but Tim merely ducks under a sloppy punch and kicks the guy into the brick wall behind him.

Tim's bo staff is in his hand and pressed up against the man's larynx before he's managed to catch his breath from the kick. "We have some questions for you." Tim isn't used to doing this with so little information. He knows almost all of the dealers' names back home, big time and small, and he likes to use their names against them. The lack of knowledge in this instance leaves him feeling rather unprepared. He ignores the feeling, however, and motions for Dick to take up the space beside him. "We're looking for a woman." Dick pulls up a picture of Catherine for the man to look at. "I have a feeling you saw her last Friday."

The obvious recognition that flashes in the man's eyes doesn't go unnoticed by either of them, and Tim digs his bo staff just a little more into the man's neck. "She bought something off of you. What was it and where did she go after purchasing it?"

The man glares at both of them. "Fuck you!"

Tim shakes his head and glances over to Dick. "Why is it they never want to do things the easy way?"

Dick smirks evilly. "Maybe they're just all gluttons for punishment."

Tim shrugs. "Mostly likely." He gestures for Dick to move out of the way, and once he's sure he won't accidently clip the boy, Tim pulls his staff away from the man's neck and uses it to sweep his feet out from under him. The man lands on the ground with a loud thud, and Tim drives his foot into the man's gut. "Now, I believe I asked you a few questions."

There's a flash of panic in the man's eyes as he desperately tries to get away, but Tim kicks him again and places his foot right under his chin this time. The amount of dread in the man's expression makes Tim suddenly tense. It doesn't fit this situation…not if Catherine just bought something standard off of him and left. Tim's starting to feel uneasy about this entire encounter. "What did you sell her?" He has to know if it's the product making the man so edgy, or something else.

Tim's growl forces the man to stop and frantically look around, clearly searching for someone a bit taller and more bat-like. It takes Tim a moment to realize even Robin has frozen behind him. He ignores Dick for a moment to focus on the dealer still lying on the ground. He taps the man's head with the side of his bo staff just hard enough to get his attention. "I want answers now!"

The man shakes his head, and it's evident from his eyes that he's trying to talk himself up towards some kind of decision. Tim hopes the man is just convincing himself to answer, because he really hates the courageous ones. "What's it matter? The bitch is dead anyway."

He can practically feel Robin shifting behind him, getting ready to do… something. Tim's not entirely sure what. If it was Damian, Tim's sure he'd be getting ready to pounce on the man and beat him until he was bloody, but Tim doesn't have the knowledge base to anticipate Dick's reaction for this particular situation. The lack of being able to predict Dick's moves is odd. It feels like Tim has spent his entire life calculating Dick's responses, and after spending weeks training the team, it seems like a gross oversight not to have this particular information. He holds out a hand and gestures for Dick to back off. He does so, but Tim can tell how reluctant he is and how apprehensive he is.

Tim glares down at the man in front of him. "What makes you so sure?"

The man laughs, suddenly emboldened by whatever he has to say, despite still lying on the ground with a boot to his throat. "'Cause I did it. I killed her and dumped her body in the dumpster down the block. Bitch didn't wanna pay, and now…"

Tim doesn't even think about what he's doing as he swings his bo staff down across the man's temple, effectively knocking him out. He just couldn't stand to listen to the man anymore. This is the worst case scenario that he's been trying all night not to consider. He doesn't know what he's going to do. There are too many variables and not enough information for him to know his next move. It isn't until he feels Dick's hand on his shoulder that Tim realizes he's just been standing in the same spot, foot still jammed under the dealer's chin, unmoving for however long it's been. Dick pulls him back and away from the man. "I called the cops. We should get moving."

Tim still isn't thinking about anything beyond making his feet move. They make their way to the roof, and Tim has to almost physically force himself to stay standing. Dick is just standing beside him, undoubtedly confused by his reaction. "Why are you so…?" Dick trails off as he gestures at Tim in general. "I mean, no offense, but this can't be the first time a missing person case has ended this way for you, so…"

Tim could lie. He could tell him that it's just because he's never had to tell a kid that his mother is dead before, but he just doesn't have it in him right now…not while he's still trying to figure out how he's going to approach Jason. He knows the kid well enough to know that if he isn't careful, Jason will run, and then they'll have to find him, and there are still far too many possibilities and not enough cold hard facts for Tim to work with. He shakes his head, trying to clear it and focuses on Dick for right now. "It's complicated."

Dick's eyes suddenly narrow as he pushes Tim hard enough that, if Tim hadn't seen it coming, he would have stumbled off of the roof. "How could it possibly be complicated? You don't even know this woman. You told me you only met that Jason kid last week because you saved him from The Joker, so why is it complicated?"

Tim has an overwhelming urge to rub his temples and sigh, but instead he folds his arms over his chest and stands taller. "Now isn't the time, Robin. We have to…"

Dick shoves him again, and this time Tim does stumble, but he manages to catch himself before he tumbles over the side of the roof. "I'm not going anywhere until you start giving me some answers."

Tim pinches the bridge of his nose. "Fine, but can we at least move to a different rooftop? The cops should be here any minute."

Dick nods and the two of them take off, with Dick leading the way. Tim doesn't know why he's suddenly so tense, but he has a feeling that he's not going to like wherever this night is headed. When the two of them are well over a block away from the apartment complex, Dick suddenly stops and spins around to face Tim with a sneer on his face. Once again, Tim finds himself near the edge of the roof, and he doesn't like it. "I can tell that there's a lot that you're leaving out. Every time you mention your Dick you get this weird, faraway, pained look, even when you're telling me how great of a brother he is, so, obviously, he's not that awesome. When you said you were close, I saw your face. I saw how blank it got. It was just like when you said you were thinking of home, and you shouldn't look that way when you're thinking of home or your brother… not… not if it's good. So, it wasn't true, was it? You two aren't really close at all, and… and everything you said is a lie!" Dick's seething, hands balled into tight fists and Tim isn't sure what to do. He didn't see this coming, although he guesses that he probably should have.

Tim shakes his head and takes a tactical step away from the edge of the roof. "I didn't lie to you about any of that. We are close and he is a great brother, but things have changed recently. We've been distant with each other, due to a multitude of reasons that really have nothing to do with this. My issues with him aren't yours and I don't have time to deal with this right now."

Dick sighs heavily as his shoulders slump inward. "Because we have to go tell Jason the news."

"No!" without even thinking Tim pulls out his bo staff, and blocks Dick's exist.

Dick's brow furrows at the sudden response. "What do you mean, 'no'?"

Tim heaves a large breath and holds it for the entire time that it takes to put his bo staff away, and then he releases it slowly as he brings his hands up in a mollifying gesture. "We can't tell Jason about his mother… not yet… not until I come up with a viable option."

Dick raises an eyebrow at him, evidently perplexed. "Viable option for what? What are you talking about?"

Tim wants to answer him, but he's already lost in his own thoughts. He doesn't notice at first when he starts pacing the length of the rooftop, but the movement makes him feel better. It gives his body something to do, while his mind races, trying to work out a practical solution. If he wasn't so caught up in trying to find the best resolution for a no-win situation, Tim would probably laugh at how he's seemingly picked up his Dick's bad behavior. It isn't until he feels two hands wrap around his arms and shake him that Tim realizes he's been completely ignoring Dick. "Would you just stop and answer me? Please!"

The desperation in Dick's voice is what finally gets Tim to stop and take another deep breath to calm himself before he faces Dick, who looks as though he's about two seconds away from trying to knock Tim out. "We can't just tell Jason about his mother without a reasonable plan of action."

Dick's mask does nothing to hide his widening eyes and his mouth just hangs open for a good minute before he's shaking Tim again. "What are you talking about? That isn't our problem. The Gotham Youth Services will find any other family he has or place him in foster care. Surely, these things work the same in your own Gotham."

Tim shakes his head as he pulls away from Dick's grasp. He immediately starts pacing again. "You don't understand. Jason doesn't have anyone else and he doesn't trust the system. If we walk in there without a viable option for him, he'll run, and then…"

"How do you know that?" Tim stops pacing at the interruption, but it's the harsh betrayal that he hears in Dick's voice that causes him to freeze all over. "How do you know what he'll do or what kind of kid he is? How do you know he doesn't have any other family? How do you know anything about him? You said… you said you only met him because you saved him. So, what is it? What did you see that I didn't? What did I miss? What was there that I just overlooked? What… what makes you better than me? Is it because you're so much like Batman? Is that what makes you better? You think like him. You act like him. You even have the same damn facial expressions. Is that why he likes you more?"

Tim doesn't know what to say to any of that. He feels like a fish out of water - one who just realized he isn't going to be kept as a pet, after all. He didn't foresee how protecting Dick from certain aspects of his home would somehow kick Dick's insecurities into overdrive, and he certainly doesn't know what to do about it. He's never had to deal with an under confident Dick Grayson, at least not when it came to his relationship with Bruce. He knows that it happen, and that Dick didn't always have faith in his place beside Bruce… beside Batman, but that was a long time ago. Tim's sure Alfred helped him with that a lot back then, but Tim doesn't have any idea what he's supposed to do without some Alfred level magic and cookies here. "You didn't miss anything. I promise you didn't miss anything, and Batman doesn't like me more than you. He just sees my potential and usefulness. That's all it is."

Dick just stares at him incredulously. "Then how do you know so much?"

Tim sighs heavily and resigns himself to having to reveal at least a few things. "Because I know the Jason Todd of my world."

Dick's eyes widen once again. "How… how do you know him?"

Tim rubs his temples and tries to think of the best way to put it. "He's technically our adopted brother."

Tim is expecting Dick to jump on his wording and start asking a multitude of questions that he most likely doesn't have the answers to. Instead, he gets a very excited Dick jumping up down. "Okay, problem solved. We just tell Batman who Jason is and that he has to adopt him, and I get a little brother and…"

Tim holds up his hand to stop Dick. "No, we can't. It…it doesn't work that way."

Dick stops immediately and petulantly folds his arms over his chest. "Why not?"

Tim sighs heavily and glances down at the ground. This conversation was never part of his plan, and he's not really sure how he managed to get himself ensnared in it. "Because I'm not even sure if B should adopt Jason."

Dick's stares at him in astonishment, and backs away from him. "What? How could you say that? He's your brother."

Tim shakes his head as he takes a step towards Dick, trying and failing to calm him. "You don't understand. There's a reason I said that he's technically our brother. You're just going to have to trust me. Jason being adopted by B may, in fact, be the worst thing for him."

"No, no, I don't trust you. I can't trust you. I don't understand how you could possibly think that. What could have possibly happened to make you think…?"

"Jason died, Dick. The Joker killed him after B adopted him." He didn't mean to say that, and he certainly didn't mean to use Dick's name out of costume, but it's better that he understands the full ramifications of things now.

Dick just stares at him, clearly not believing a word of it, but after a long moment Dick's shoulders drop and he glances up at Tim with the most lost expression Tim's ever seen. "What do we do then? What do we do with Jason?"

Tim merely shakes his head. He was never prepared for any of this, and he doesn't have any answers. "I wish I knew, Robin. I really do."

The End (for now)


	13. Chapter 13

The two of them are standing on the rooftop, silently staring at each other. Neither one of them is actually ready to return to the HQ, even though Tim knows that, if they don't at least check in soon, he's going to have to deal with a whole slew of problems in the form of four worried super-powered teens. Tim wishes he had all of the answers, but he just doesn't. He never expected to run into Jason that night, and he certainly never expected to discover that Jason's mother had been murdered. Now, he's left with too many options - and yet not enough of them at the same time.

He doesn't know what to do. He never wanted to interfere. Tim has done his best to limit the amount of information he's let slip, as well as the impact he's made on this world, but he's never been one for standing idly by while there was something he could do. And now is no different. He has an obligation to help as much as he can, even if only because he was trained by a Batman to do what he could no matter the situation. Tim doesn't know how to do anything else, but that doesn't change the fact that he technically has no right to keep Jason from Bruce, even though he can really only see one way for that to end.

He could potentially find Jason a nice family to live with somewhere in the city, but Tim knows Jason well enough to know that, as long as he's in Gotham, he won't ever really be safe. Heck, he's already had one run in with The Joker, and if Tim hadn't intervened he'd probably already be dead. Still, ethically speaking, Tim has no right to make this decision. He can't just remove Jason from Gotham and place him with some random family. Jason would never go for that, and he'd be back in Gotham within a week, probably getting into trouble - trouble that would inevitably lead him right back to Bruce, and put him right in the line of fire for The Joker.

Not to mention, Tim refuses to place Jason with someone who isn't prepared to deal with Jason Todd-level antics. Unfortunately, when Tim thinks about it, the list of people with that kind of fortitude isn't long, and the majority of people on that list are people that Tim isn't even sure exist in this world. Besides, even if they do exist, they sure as hell don't know Tim and don't owe him any favors. Furthermore, he's fairly certain that he would lose any and all credibility he might have if he asked any of the people who might be willing to hear him out to keep this from Batman.

Tim doesn't realize that he's sat down on the roof and is clawing at his head until he feels two small but firm hands pulling them away from his scalp. "Hey, I know I don't know everything that's going on, and everything is pretty crazy right now, but I'm pretty sure whatever's going through your head right now doesn't need to be resolved tonight."

Tim just blinks owlishly a few times at Robin, while he tries to derail his thought process and calm down. "What do you mean?"

Dick shrugs, evidently uncomfortable with seeing Red Robin falling apart in front of him, which makes Tim wince. He probably should have taken Dick back to the HQ before he decided to have a mental breakdown, but there's nothing he can do about that now. "I mean, Jason is staying with Mrs. Miller, and we did tell him it would be a few days. We can go back to the HQ and figure this out later."

Tim nods as he gets to his feet. After all, he probably should have taken Dick back hours ago. "One thing before we go - I know that you don't like keeping things from him, but you can't tell B about Jason, Robin. Not until I figure out what I'm going to do, and maybe not even then, okay?"

Dick shakes his head. "Don't you mean until we figure out what we're going to do? I'm in this too, and just because I don't know everything doesn't mean I don't want to help."

Tim sighs heavily. He should have known that the moment Dick got involved, he wasn't going to be able to get rid of him. "Fine, but you can't tell anyone about Jason or anything else that I told you tonight. Not Batman, not the rest of your team, no one, and you can only speak to me about this whole situation when you are absolutely certain that we're alone and no one is listening in. Is that clear?"

Dick nods his head vigorously. "You got it, boss."

Tim rolls his eyes and tries to ignore how much that particular nickname bothers him, and then he reconsiders. This Dick's penchant for being obnoxious might actually surpass his own. "And don't call me boss."

Dick folds his arms over his chest. "Fine, but in exchange for my cooperation, I want details."

Tim raises an eyebrow, knowing that whatever Dick is asking for is going to be more than Tim wants to give him, because some things never change no matter which Earth he's on or which Dick Grayson he's dealing with. "What kind of details?"

"I want to know about your world. I want to know about Jason….both Jasons, and the issues currently going on between you and your brother. I want to know why every time you think of your home your face blanks out and you look like you've lost everything. I want to know about your Batman and the other heroes from your world, and why you go by Red Robin, and everything." Dick pauses for a moment and takes a deep breath. "Yeah, I want to know everything."

Tim heaves a large sigh, knowing that there most likely isn't any way for him to avoid answering those questions, especially not since they both know he's going to need Dick's help with the whole Jason situation. Tim should have seen this coming, though, because this is no different from his own Dick. His older brother always knows exactly how much he can ask for when the other person is in a bind and has limited options, and never feels any guilt about taking advantage of said situation… at least, not in Tim's experience he hasn't. "Fine, but not until we're in a secluded area back at the HQ. This information isn't for anyone else. I've kept it all to myself for a reason, and I expect you to respect that."

Dick smiles brightly and jumps at his obvious win. "Alright, you got it. Now, let's get going, Red Robin."

He gestures for Dick to lead the way, intending to allow Robin to burn off his excess energy with as many flips as he feels necessary. After all, Tim plans to use the mindless roof top run back to figure out exactly what he intends to tell Dick when he inevitably begins interrogating him about his world. There's so much that he can't tell Dick for his own good, and there's so much more that Tim simply doesn't want anyone to know. Things weren't great back home before his accidental multiverse displacement, and Tim would rather not dwell on all of that if he doesn't have to; but he's been here long enough to know that if he doesn't give Dick enough information to satisfy him, the kid will do something exceedingly ill thought-out. Jason's broken window is enough of a testament to that as Tim needs.

When they enter the HQ, Tim isn't surprised to see the rest of the team standing in the entryway with worried frowns plastered on their faces. Tim's not exactly sure how long after he left that Dick followed him, nor does he know what excuse Dick gave the rest of the team, but they've both been gone long enough that their reactions are rather expected. He just wishes he had devoted a portion of the return trip to deciding what he was going to tell all of them. To be fair, though, Tim's mind had been a little preoccupied with everything else going on in his life to consider the team.

"Are you two hurt?" Predictably, it's Kaldur who approaches them first, and Tim breathes out a sigh of relief that the first question he has to answer is something he can respond to honestly.

Tim shakes his head, knowing that they both probably look like they haven't slept in a week, even though they haven't even been gone for a full twenty-four hours. "No, we both fine. Tired, but fine." Tim hasn't wanted to kill a conversation this much since he first arrived here, but now that he's back at the HQ, all Tim wants to do is to take a shower and sleep, even though he knows he doesn't really have time to sleep - no matter how much the stress is getting to him. He has to figure out the whole Jason situation swiftly, because the longer he takes, the higher the risk that Jason will decide he's taking too long to find his mother and flee Mrs. Miller's apartment all together.

Apparently, Tim has spent too long lost inside his own thoughts, because M'gann's hand is suddenly on his shoulder, as if steadying him, and she looks as though she's been trying to get his attention for some time. "Are you sure you're alright?"

Tim glances around to see all of them, including Robin, staring at him as though he's going to pass out right in front of them. He shakes his head as if to clear it. "Yeah, like I said, I'm just tired.

Superboy is on his other side, braced to catch him if the need arises. "You should sleep."

Tim nods numbly; almost afraid of losing his reprieve from various questions that he knows he doesn't have the answers to, or at least not answers that he's willing to give. "Yeah, that's probably for the best. It's been a long day."

He's about to walk out of the door and head for the showers when he hears Wally call to him. "Hey, don't think this means you're getting out of movie night. You already committed, and you owe us after that training session earlier."

Tim can't help but smile. His assenting to movie night and the subsequent training session feels like it was eons ago as opposed to mere hours, and Tim knows he shouldn't actually be this tired, but everything is just weighing so heavily on him now. The reminder of why he's so tired makes Tim incline his head at Wally's demand as he considers the best way to let him down. Tim has far too much work to do now. He doesn't have the time for a movie night. Heck, he still needs to design their next training session, especially since their previous one got cut short. Tim didn't even think about that until now - because normally he would have had that planned out weeks ago - but he needed to see where everyone was at the end of the team building obstacle course before he could move forward with his training plans.

"Wally is right." It's Dick's voice that actually brings him out of his brooding this time, and Tim is actually grateful, because he was starting to work himself into a real frenzy for a second. "You can't ditch movie night, even though I know you're busy." Dick pauses for a moment, and Tim tenses waiting for the inevitable questions from the others pertaining to what he's busy doing, but Dick continues before anyone can get a word in. "But, you know, planning our training sessions isn't everything, nor is anything else that you might be thinking about right now." Tim really hopes that the rest of them just assume Dick is referring to Tim's normal habit of locking himself away with various books, trying to find a way back home, but he doesn't actually have enough time to properly fret over it, because Dick cuts off every thought in Tim's head with one simple sentence. "Plus, it's probably good for you to relax a bit and chill instead of drowning in whatever insanely complex thoughts you're having right now."

There's a chorus of, "Yeah, exactly," behind him from the others, but Tim barely comprehends it. He's too busy focusing on how much this Dick is just like his own, even with the massive age difference. He's not sure how this particular Dick Grayson is so aware of Tim's thought process, but it's something he's been missing for a lot longer than Tim really wants to think about.

He turns back around to face them, and smiles gently in an attempt to ease the tension suddenly stagnating the room. "You guys are right. I guess I have been a little trapped inside my own head lately. Tell you what, I'll go get a shower, and then we can watch whatever movie you guys decide on. I think I could use some time to relax before I crash for the night." Tim actually has no intention of sleeping tonight, but he knows that if he gives them this movie night, then the rest of them will be out of it long enough for him to make some real progress on the Jason situation. At the very least, he'll have time to do some research into the various people on that very short list of people with the fortitude to withstand Jason Todd antics.

All of them practically jump in excitement as they immediately start fighting over what movie to watch. Apparently, the fact that Tim has decided join in their junk-food-mindless-movie tradition vetoes Superboy's right to pick the movie, despite it technically being his turn. However, Superboy doesn't seem particularly perturbed by the seemingly unanimous decision as they all start voting on which movie would best be suited for a relaxing post-mission-mind-numbing experience. It appears that the only prerequisite for said movie is that it doesn't require higher brain power to enjoy. Tim's fairly certain that they're going to end up watching something with very little plot and a lot of explosions.

He can't help but think of the last time he did something like this, but it doesn't necessarily bring back all good memories. After all, the last time he had any kind of movie night was with his own Dick, and it ended with Damian crashing through Tim's apartment window in a flurry of anger that Dick wasn't out patrolling. The fact that Dick was only at Tim's apartment because Tim had a broken ankle only added to Damian's rage. In the end, Tim ended up feigning exhaustion just to get the both of them to leave and stop breaking stuff in his apartment.

Again, he's brought out of his thoughts by someone nudging him out of the room. "Come on, you said you needed a shower, and from the looks of it the others are going to take forever to finally settle on a movie." Tim glances down to see Dick practically dragging him out of the room. "You're really out of it. Are you sure you're okay?" Dick's concern for him is almost too reminiscent of Tim's own Dick.

Tim shakes his head and reconsiders his stance on actually sleeping tonight. He really can't afford to be this distracted. "Yeah, it's just…well, you know I have a lot on my mind."

Dick nods as he continues leading Tim towards the showers. "Yeah, and don't think I'm letting you back out of your promise. You're going to tell me everything, but right now I think you really just need to stop thinking."

Tim laughs hollowly at the suggestion. "Yeah, well, my Dick would love you forever if you could actually manage that."

Dick hums in consideration and strokes his chin in a faux thoughtful gesture. "I'll see what I can come up with."

Tim huffs out a breath at Dick antics. "Now, I'm starting to worry."

Dick shakes his head. "No, no, no worrying. You do too much of that. Now, go shower, and try not to think. I'll go make sure the others haven't broken the TV in their squabbles."

Tim shakes his head again as Dick practically runs out of the room. There are times he really does wish he could just stop thinking, but now isn't one of them. Tim knows his time is limited and he needs to find a solution. No matter how much he may know, he doesn't actually have the right to make a decision involving anyone on this earth, least of all Jason. But he can't just stand by and do nothing, either. It's not in his nature, even if he thinks his life might be easier if it was.

Tim gets into the shower and starts going over everything he knows about this world and the possible trajectory its future could take - which arguably isn't much, because once again there are far too many variables. Tim hangs his head in defeat - knowing that no matter what he does, it's probably going to be the wrong choice - but he really doesn't think that not making a choice is an option. At least, not for someone like Tim. He hates multiverse travel, and he's fairly certain he always will, but that apparently is a problem for another day.

Tim sighs heavily, knowing there's only so much time he can spend in the shower before someone - most likely Dick - comes to check on him. He just wishes that he had someone other than a thirteen-year-old Dick Grayson to talk to about everything that's been going on, because Tim honestly doesn't remember ever missing his older brother as much as he does right now. He knows that it would be better - that he wouldn't feel nearly as lost as he does - if he could just talk to Dick like they used to before he got transported to this earth. Except that's not exactly true, if Tim is completely honest with himself, he would admit that what he really wishes is that he could talk to Dick like they did before Dick ever put on the cowl and everything fell apart. It's that thought that makes Tim realize he's been missing his big brother for a lot longer than he has been stuck on this earth.

The End (for now)


	14. Chapter 14

Tim's poring over all of the information he's found on the various people of this world who could possibly help him with his Jason-sized problem; and the surprising lack of certain people from his world is driving him crazy. He's pretty much decided that there really is only one option, but Tim has no idea how to gain an audience with that person without the entire Justice League discovering what he's doing. Tim sighs heavily as he clutches at his head. He didn't think this was going to be easy, but he's beyond frustrated with how difficult it's turning out to be.

He still has his head in his hands when Tim feels a small, but firm, hand on his shoulder. "You okay?"

Tim glances up to see Dick sitting next to him with a cup of coffee in his other hand. He tries to ignore the way his heart aches at how similar the concern on this Dick's face is to his own Dick back home. "Let's put it this way. That better be for me."

Dick smiles brightly as he hands over the cup. "Robin always knows when the boss needs a pick-me-up." Tim considers growling at Dick to not call him that, but, knowing Dick, he'd just do it more - so Tim downs as much caffeine as he can in one large gulp, before Dick decides to annoy him some more. The moment he puts the cup down, Dick nudges him with an elbow. "So, come up with anything yet?"

Tim's tempted to pick up the cup again, just to give his hands something to hold, but he ignores the impulse in favor of merely nodding his head. "Yeah, I think I've come up with a feasible idea, but we might need Superboy's help."

Dick's eyes widen at the mention of Superboy. "Why would we need him? He hasn't even been out of his pod for a whole year. How could he possibly help with this? Unless you think his issues with Superman ignoring him is going to somehow help Jason with his problems with authority."

Tim can't help but laugh at the idea, and then cringes when he really considers those two spending time together. "No, in fact, just imaging the type of trouble those two would get into together is giving me a headache. However, I might need to have a chat with Superman, and Superboy just might be able to make that happen."

Dick scoffs as he folds his arms over his chest. He looks as though he's reconsidering Tim's intellect - which is a very interesting expression on the younger boy's face, especially since Tim doesn't think he's ever had the displeasure of witnessing it on his own Dick's face. "Yeah, right. In the time that you've been here, you've spent more time with Batman than Superboy has spent time with Superman since he showed up, so I doubt it. You'd have a better chance of meeting with Superman if you asked Black Canary to call him for you."

Tim hums in thought for a long moment. He hadn't really considered going through the resident den mother for any help with this. The longer he thinks about it, however, the more Tim realizes there's no way she wouldn't try to figure out exactly what he's up to and inevitably relay everything back to Batman. She still sees him as one of the kids. Besides, the last thing Tim wants to do is distract her from her mission of helping Roy, which is something else that he should look into when he actually has time. He hasn't actually seen or spoken to Roy in awhile. Tim shakes his head in an attempt to refocus. "No, it probably wouldn't be a good idea to draw her attention to any of this."

Dick stares at him for a long moment, seemingly unconvinced, but lets it go. "Okay, so what do we do then?"

Tim's still thinking about Black Canary and Roy when it suddenly hits him that they could technically involve her without anyone actually knowing that's what he's doing. He smirks when he realizes that this might not be as difficult as he originally thought. Besides, it's not as though the current situation between Superboy and Superman should continue the way it has…for all of their sakes. "Well, we should still move Jason to a safe house, like I planned, but…"

Dick holds up a hand to stop him and Tim falls silent. He's used to his own Dick just interrupting, without the hand gestures, and he's not really sure why this Dick feels the need to add them. Perhaps, it has something to do with his size. Tim's not entirely sure his own Dick Grayson was ever so scrawny, despite the fact that he has the photographic evidence. "I still don't understand how you think you're going to be able to set up a safe house that B doesn't know about in the city."

Tim's smirk only widens at Dick's skepticism. After all, surpassing people's expectations has always been one of Tim's favorite past times. "I once hid the cost of having an entire Batmobile shipped across country in the batarang budget. Setting up safe houses no one knows about is far easier, trust me. The hardest part will actually be convincing Jason to stay put while we finalize everything else."

Dick still doesn't look convinced, but Tim doesn't mind. It's not as though this is the first time he's had to convince someone of his abilities. "How exactly are we going to convince Jason to stay put?"

Tim pauses at that inquiry, because it's one of the many that he doesn't actually have an answer to. Tim knows for certain that Jason probably won't be willing to just sit around while they figure things out. In fact, Tim is already working on the best way to put a tracer on the kid, knowing full well that Jason will roam as he sees fit. He just hopes that he can keep the kid off of everyone's radar until he's got a feasible way to get him out of Gotham. Tim knows it really is the only way to ensure Jason's safety. He just has a lot of work to do before he can get to that point. Tim sighs heavily as he downs what's left of his coffee. "By being as honest as we can with him."

Dick nods in approval and Tim does his best not to groan. He's fairly certain Dick still doesn't understand what they've gotten themselves into, but that will all have to come later, because right now, they're both going to be late for another training session. Tim clears his throat as he motions for the two of them to head to the training room. "We're going to be late, if we don't hurry."

Dick laughs as he flips out of the door and into the hallway. "Chill, your room isn't even that far away from the training room."

Tim rolls his eyes, but he can't keep the smile off of his face as Dick somersaults down the hallway. Some things never change…no matter what Earth he's on. "I still need to reset all of the obstacles, since our last training session got cut short."

Dick immediately flips around and glares at him. "Wait, you're going to make us do that again?"

Tim smiles evilly at Dick's tone. "It's an effective training exercise and you guys really need the teambuilding training. Not to mention, even though Kaldur insisted the rest of the team continue training after I left and you followed, none of the team made it through the obstacle course."

Dick groans as they both walk into the room and find an unexpected sight. Sitting on the mat closest to the door is Red Arrow, looking as relaxed as could be. Tim raises an eyebrow at his sudden appearance. From the expression on Robin's face, he hadn't known the other teen was here either. "What's up?" Tim's not really sure why Roy is just sitting in the training room, but he figures that's a safe start to any and every conversation.

Roy shrugs as he gets to his feet. "Not much. Black Canary told me you guys were having a training session today. She said that I should come by and check it out, and something about spending time with you guys being good for me or some other such nonsense."

Tim can't help but smile. He's glad that Black Canary took him seriously and seems to be looking out for Roy now. Maybe now that he has someone who pays a bit closer attention to him, Roy will be able to avoid some of the less than favorable stuff his counterpart got involved in back home. Dick, for his part, seems delighted that Roy is here. "She's right, you know." Dick nudges Roy with an elbow. "So, are you going to join in on our little obstacle course?"

Roy starts to shake his head no, but Tim puts a hand on his shoulder, hoping that it'll make him reconsider. "There's always room for one more, and they might actually reach the end of the obstacle course with your help."

Roy gives him a once over before folding his arms over his chest. "It can't be that bad."

Robin groans as he clasps a hand on Roy's other shoulder. "It so is. Batman's obstacle courses are hard. Red Robin's are hard and evil. There are eggs involved."

At Roy's raised eyebrow, Tim can't help but laugh. "To be fair, only Superboy has to hold an egg."

None of them get a chance to respond before there's the sound of a growl behind them. Tim turns to see Superboy, Kaldur, Kid Flash, and M'gann standing in the doorway. Superboy looks extremely annoyed at the prospect of their training session. "You're going to make me try the egg thing again, aren't you?" At Tim's nod, Superboy glares. "You really do hate me."

Tim does his best not to laugh outright at Superboy's expression, but it takes nearly all of his self-control. He clears his throat as he starts setting everything up. "You'll do fine."

Superboy rolls his eyes as he moves out of Tim's way. "That's what you said last time."

Tim shrugs as he motions for Robin to help him get everything ready. "You didn't even break a full dozen. That's pretty impressive."

Superboy sighs heavily as he and the others start helping Tim move the mats around. "Only because our training session got cut short."

Tim shakes his head before turning his attention back to Roy. "So, what do you say, Red Arrow? Are you going to join the obstacle course?"

Roy shrugs as he starts to stretch. "Sure, how bad can it be?"

"Bad." Everyone says simultaneously as Superboy drops the mat he was moving rather forcefully, but neither the floor nor the mat are much worse for wear, so Tim takes it as a win.

He snickers at the look on Red Arrow's face and just shrugs innocently. "Guess you'll just have to join and find out."

Roy's eyes narrow, but he nods his head in agreement. "Fine, let's see how bad this really is."

Two hours later, Roy flops onto the mat beside Tim and just glares up at him. "You're evil and sadistic, and I refuse to believe that you were trained by a Batman…unless your Batman is equally sadistic."

Tim merely folds his arms over his chest and smirks. "In all fairness, the others did warn you."

Roy shakes his head, sweat dripping onto the mat underneath him. "No, 'it's bad' is not a proper warning for whatever that was."

Tim raises an eyebrow, but still can't keep the smirk off of his face. "And what would have been a proper warning?"

Roy sits up and calls out in a faux terrified voice. "Red Arrow, don't! You'll hate yourself and everyone around you. When we're done, even your teeth will hurt. Walk away now! Go! Leave us! Save yourself!"

Tim snickers as Roy flops back down onto the mat. "Well, next time I'll make sure you're given the necessary warnings." Tim holds out a hand to Roy. "Come on, I think Kid Flash could use a snack break."

Roy grabs a hold of his hand and in an instant Kid Flash is beside him. "You serious? 'Cause, once I'm gone, I'm not coming back until our next session."

Tim nods and Wally is gone before Tim even manages to pull Roy to his feet. "Alright you four! That's enough for today. Come on!"

Superboy, M'gann, Robin, and Kaldur don't need to be told twice. All four of them abandon the obstacle course and dash out of the training room. Tim chuckles to himself as he listens to them hollering the whole way to the kitchen. He turns back towards Roy and gestures for him to follow the others. "You should go with them. I'm just going to clean up in here."

Roy winces at a particularly loud whoop from Kid Flash and shakes his head. "If it's all the same to you, I'd rather not."

Tim shrugs as he moves to dismantle some of the obstacles and replace the mats. "Suit yourself." He's about to use his staff to knock down a batarang Robin got stuck in the side of one of the sandbags earlier when Roy grabs it for him instead. "Thanks, but you don't have to help me."

Roy shakes his head as he hands over the batarang. "I don't mind, but if you don't want my help..." He lets the sentence trail off, and Tim's feels like a moron for accidently implying that he didn't want Roy's company.

He lays a hand on Roy's arm and squeezes reassuringly. "No, no, by all means. I appreciate the help. I just didn't want you to feel obligated to help me out."

Roy stares at him for a long moment, evidently looking for the lie. Tim lets him take his time. After all, Tim tells a lot of lies…this just doesn't happen to be one. It's a long moment before Roy nods his head, and then the two of them get back to putting the training area back to the way it should be.

Tim isn't exactly sure why Roy decided to spend his afternoon helping him out instead of hanging out with the rest of the team, but he figures that this Roy just isn't used to hanging around a bunch of hyper teenagers. Although, Tim thinks it might be good for him to do just that. Still, he doesn't always have the fortitude to deal with it himself and, for the time being, he's living here, so Tim thinks he understands, at least mildly. He's in the middle of dragging the mats back over when Roy's voice breaks through his thoughts. "I guess I should thank you."

Tim stops to raise an eyebrow at him. "Thank me? For what?"

Roy fidgets for a few moments, and this is the most hesitant Tim has ever seen this Roy. Hell, he's fairly certain this is the most hesitant Tim has ever seen any Roy Harper, and he really doesn't like it. "For letting me join your training exercise, even if it was hell, but mostly for sending Black Canary my way. I…I really needed it."

Tim smiles as he nervously rubs the back of his head. "Well, you're welcome to join all hell sessions whenever you want. And, as far as Black Canary goes, all I did was suggest that you could use someone who was undoubtedly on your side, you know?"

Roy nods as they finish putting everything away. "Well, whatever you did, I'm grateful."

Tim smirks as an idea forms in his head. This might just be a great way to facilitate a stronger bond between Roy and the team. "How grateful?"

Roy raises an eyebrow and backs away from him slowly. "What do you have in mind?"

"I was thinking that Superboy is almost ready for the next stage of his training."

Roy's expression grows curious, but he's still keeping his distance from Tim. "And what does that entail?"

Tim's smirk only grows more mischievous, knowing that Roy will probably enjoy it as much as Superboy is going to hate it. "Catching projectiles without crushing them."

Roy's eyes widen in suddenly realization. "You want me to shoot arrows at Superboy and you want him to catch them without breaking them, don't you?"

Tim's eyes light up at the sheer thought of it. It's a great way to incorporate Roy into their training without making him feel overwhelmed or like he's being forced onto the team. It's perfect, really. "If you're willing to help out, then yes, that's exactly what I'd like to do."

Roy runs a hand through his hair as he thinks it over. "Man, he's going to hate both of us and I'm going to go through so many arrows, but sure, I'll help out."

Tim laughs as he motions for Roy to follow him out of the room. "Let's go give him the good news, then."

Roy shakes his head as he follows Tim. "You really do have a sadistic streak. Remind me to stay on your good side."

Tim chuckles as he nudges Roy in the side. "What makes you think I have a good side?"

Roy rolls his eyes as the two of them make their way towards the kitchen. "You've done nothing but work yourself to the bone trying to help everyone since you got here."

Tim shrugs as he starts making some coffee for the both of them. "It's what I do."

"I know. That's why I'm worried."

Tim nearly drops the coffee can he's holding on his foot before turning to stare at Red Arrow in utter disbelief. "What?"

Roy sighs heavily as he practically shoves a sandwich into Tim's mouth. "Black Canary said all you do is train the team; help out where you can, and try to find a way back home. She said that you've been spending a lot of time with Robin for the last couple of days, but even though you have the access codes to get in and out of the HQ now, and the permission to use it, you don't take advantage of it very often. She's worried that you're not adjusting to life here well even though it's been…what? A month and a half since you first arrived? And after seeing you today, I'm worried too."

Tim stares at the sandwich that Roy had nearly shoved down his throat and sighs. "I'm adjusting as well as can be expected, I suppose. It's not as though Batman or anyone else has informed me of how they intend to send me home…if they intend to send me home. I don't have a place here…not really, and I'm just trying to do what I can. It's all I can do, after all."

Roy looks at him as though Tim is a particularly fragile animal, which is just irritating, given how young this Roy really is. "You could go out and make friends…you know, ones that don't wear a mask."

Tim shakes his head. That type of stress is the last thing that Tim wants or needs right now. Besides, making friends outside of the masks never worked out very well for him back home, so Tim somehow doubts that it will be any different here. "There's too high of a risk of there being a me on this world and my running into people who would recognize him - or, at the very least - know his name. And, while things are different on this Earth, and I could certainly go by a fake name, there's too much risk and not enough pay off for me to even bother."

"And what if you can't get back home? What are you going to do? Spend your whole life in this HQ?"

Tim clutches his head and tries to stop the building tension headache before it can really start. It doesn't work. He doesn't know why this Roy Harper seems so hell-bent on pushing him on this subject, but this is the second time they've argued about it. Then it hits him that this is probably Roy's way of trying to protect him from the worst. He stares at Roy for a long moment, almost afraid to ask the question that's been secretly hiding in the back of his mind since he first arrived here. "Black Canary confides in you. Did she say something about the attempt to return me to my own world? Did she tell you that it isn't possible and they just haven't seen a reason to break the news to me yet?"

Roy's eyes widen at the accusation as he frantically shakes his head. "No, no, she hasn't mentioned it. I don't know anything about it. I just…I don't think you should keep yourself locked away in here. I don't think it's good for you."

Tim slumps against the counter and sighs heavily. He's not sure if that means there's still hope or not, but he has too much going on right now to worry about it. "Well, you'll be happy to know that I should be getting out more soon. I've been working on something with Robin that'll keep me pretty busy."

Roy shakes his head as he takes a large bite out of his own sandwich. "When I said you need to get out more, I didn't mean by doing more work."

Tim shrugs as he hands Roy a cup of coffee. "It's what I do. It's what I'm good at. I don't think anyone could stop me from working…not really - though you're welcome to try."

Roy shakes his head again. "No way, I know when I'm beat."

Tim smiles as he finishes the sandwich Roy made for him, and then grabs his own cup of coffee before heading towards the door. "If you'll excuse me, I need to go see Black Canary."

Roy raises an eyebrow at him. "You're not going to go give her a hard time for telling me stuff about you, are you?"

Tim huffs out a breath of a laugh at the idea. He honestly hadn't even thought of it. He just needs to start putting other plans into motion. "No, no, I've actually been meaning to talk to her all day."

Roy's eyes narrow at that information as he follows Tim out of the kitchen. "Funny, she said that you don't normally seek her out. In fact, she's only had a couple of conversations with you and most of them have been about training the team or Batman."

Tim shrugs, unsure of why that fact evidently bothers Red Arrow. "Why would I seek her out normally? I'm not a member of this team. She might be their den mother, but she's not mine. I appreciate that she seems to care about me the same way that she does for them, but, I assure you, I'm no child."

"You're not alone, either."

Tim laughs, but there's no humor in it. He doesn't want to sound callous, but Tim has been alone for a long time…far longer than he's been on this earth. "Even if I never make it home, I'll never be one of them…not really. I'm not naïve enough to believe everyone always makes it home and I don't believe everyone has a home worth going back to. I don't belong here, but that's hardly a new sensation for me. I can adapt. I can deal. I can do what I do best…help where I'm needed - so don't worry."

Before Roy can say anything in response, Tim knocks on the door to Black Canary's makeshift office and is invited inside. If she's surprised to see Tim there, Black Canary doesn't show it. Instead, she nods and gestures for Tim to have a seat. "Red Robin, how are you today?"

Tim inclines his head, but refuses to sit. He's not one of her charges and he refuses to be treated as such. "I have a request." She looks intrigued but doesn't say anything as she gestures for him to continue. "I understand that it's hardly my place to say anything, but I think it's high time Superman visit the HQ. Nearly all of the other mentors have been here at some point since I've arrived and have shown support to the younger members. However, Superman's absence is obviously taking a toll on Superboy's mental state, and I doubt he'll progress much further in his strength control training if Superman doesn't at least meet with him."

Black Canary hums in thought as she reclines in her seat. "I'm afraid I don't believe Superman's visit would be beneficial to Superboy. Not to mention, Superman has his reasons for keeping his distance. I'm sorry I can't tell you why, but…"

Tim holds up a hand to stop her. He doesn't need nor want her to make excuses for Clark. He's been through this once with his own Superboy, albeit to a far less extent, and, quite frankly, Tim is tired of this Superman's lack of trying. "Look, we both know that when Superboy is angry his control suffers, and right now his anger is almost entirely focused on the way Superman has been treating him. Completely justifiably so, I might add. I understand why Superman is reluctant to acknowledge him or even see him, but - and I mean this in the nicest way possible - the man needs to grow up and deal. He's not pleased that someone stole his DNA and created a person with it. Well, that's understandable, but there's a person with superpowers that really needs him to step up to the plate and deal. I'm not asking him to take Superboy under his wing, treat him like his own child, and teach the boy everything he knows. I'm just asking him to stop ignoring the kid, so that the training I am do with him isn't completely undermined. I would, of course, ask the man myself, if I could. However, as it stands, I'm being forced to use you as my messenger, so all I'm really asking is if you could give him my message."

She blinks rapidly at him a few times before standing. "Which is what exactly? Grow up and deal?"

Tim shakes his head. "No, be Superman and put others before himself. Superboy could really use someone who knows what it's like to have these powers and knows how hard it is to control them, and could help with that. However, that can come later, right now all he really needs is someone who understands him…someone who can help him feel not-so-alone in a world that seemingly has no place for him…someone who can punch a hole through a brick wall just as easily as he can, and yet has somehow found a place among people that he could easily squash like a bug. Superboy needs someone who can help him find his place in this world, and, unfortunately, Superman is really the only one who can do it."

Tim folds his arms over his chest, letting his cape fall around him. He's not trying to intimate her, but there's more riding on Black Canary's ability to convince Superman to help Superboy than just Superboy's training and mental state, though those are probably the two most important things at this precise moment. After a long moment, she finally nods. "You make a very convincing argument, Red Robin, so convincing, in fact, that I doubt anyone else could make Superman see reason, which is why I'm going to set up a meeting between the two of you. If you can convince Superman to help with Superboy, then you'll be doing this entire team a favor. Good luck."

Tim blinks a few times in rapid succession. "Wait, what? You're going to have me meet with Superman? Would he even be willing to do that?"

"Well, you don't share his DNA, so there's a fairly good chance." She smiles as she makes the call, and Tim takes a second to calm himself down. He didn't think everything would start moving so fast, but he can't deny that it's a good thing. She gives him a reassuring smile as she hands him her communicator. "He wishes to speak with you."

Tim nods as he puts the communicator in his ear. Not for the first time, he's relieved that he chose to use Robin's domino masks instead of his cowl while in the HQ. "Red Robin here."

Superman laughs, though Tim doesn't know why. "I heard you wish to speak with me about a personal matter. I would like to have this meeting face to face, if you'll agree."

"Name the place."

Superman laughs again, and Tim has a sinking suspicion that it has something to do with how much he sounds like Batman right now. "Black Canary knows where to go. Tell her I'll see you both soon." The connection goes dead, and Tim has an equally sinking suspicion that he knows where he's about to end up.

He turns to face Black Canary. "He said he'll see us both soon."

She smiles as she gestures for him to leave her office. "It's seems you got your meeting, after all. Come, we shouldn't keep him waiting."

Tim nods and follows her to the Zeta-Tubes, content that things are progressing at the pace that he needs, even if he really isn't looking forward to this conversation. After all, there's a reason Tim always calls Kon when he needs a Super and it isn't just because they're best friends. He takes a deep, calming breath and waits for Black Canary to set their destination. Here's hoping his cape will be warm enough.

The End (for now)


	15. Chapter 15

Tim shivers as he wraps his cape around himself to keep warm. He really wishes he had changed from wearing Robin's domino mask back to his cowl before he left with Black Canary, but he kind of figured that time was of the essence. Here's hoping he doesn't suffer from frostbite before he manages to convince Superman to, at the very least, meet with Superboy. The two of them stand at the entrance to the Fortress of Solitude, waiting for Superman to greet them. Tim knows for a fact that Superman had to have heard them arriving, and he's fast enough that he should already be at the door, so Tim just assumes this is his punishment for forcing the issue. Obviously, this Superman is vastly pettier than Tim's own.

Tim grits his teeth and does his best not to shiver as he waits for Superman to appear. He's about to ask Canary if the man is always this late, when there's an abrupt burst of freezing air that blows his cape to the side and has Tim's hair plastered to the side of his head as something moving at near supersonic speed zooms past him. Suddenly, Superman is standing before him, looking rather relaxed in the sub-zero temperature. "Sorry about that. There was a flash flood in Florida and I didn't think that it would take that long to clear everyone out."

Tim nods and resists the urge to smooth out his hair. It's just one more reason he wishes he was wearing his cowl right now. He does, however, shake out his cape, so that it covers him a bit more as he also subtly shakes his hair out of his eyes. "If you don't mind, I'd like to finish this conversation inside."

Superman stares at him for a moment, before he seems to realize that Tim's not exactly equipped to be standing outside in literally freezing temperatures. "Right, of course, follow me."

The three of them walk into the fortress and Tim can't help but look around at all of the oddities that Superman has collected. It doesn't surprise him that the Fortress of Solitude back home has far less empty containment cells. It's interesting that there are a few similarities, though. Superman seems to notice Tim staring at a strange looking plant, kept behind a glass case. "It's a…"

"I know what it is, and what it does, and why it's kept here far, far away from everything organic."

Superman halts and turns to stare at him in disbelief. "You do?"

Tim nods as they continue along the corridor. "What? You really think this is my first time in a Fortress of Solitude?"

Superman seemingly gives him a once over. "You must be highly regarded and respected back on your earth to earn such privileges."

Tim shrugs and does his best not to laugh outright. His first time at the fortress was completely out of necessity. In fact, so were a lot of the other times he's visited the Fortress of Solitude. However, having Conner as a best friend definitely got him inside the fortress and access to the less dangerous oddities Superman has collected over the years. The fact that Superman has always had a fondness for the various Robins didn't hurt either. Still, none of that is information that this particular Superman needs, so Tim silently keeps walking until Superman stops in a rather open area and gestures for them to have a seat.

Black Canary shakes her head at the offer and starts to head down another hallway. "I don't think I really need to be present for this conversation, so I'll just leave you boys to it. Let me know when Red Robin is ready to head back to the HQ."

She's gone before either one of them can protest, not that Tim had any intention of doing so. After all, this conversation will be a lot easier without a third party interloper. It doesn't matter if Tim knows that Canary is on his side, he's pretty sure that she would have some objections to some of the things Tim intends to say. Superman heaves a sigh before turning his attention back towards him, and Tim merely stands tall and waits for Superman to finish scrutinizing him. "Well, feel free to make yourself comfortable."

Tim rolls his shoulders so that his cape falls back over them and out of the way. He's a lot warmer now and doesn't feel the need to try to wrap himself in it any longer, and then he shifts squaring his shoulders and preparing for the worst. "I'm comfortable."

Superman snorts out a laugh that's definitely more Clark than Superman as he sits down. "You know, even Batman isn't this stiff when he's here…not when it's just a simple private conversation." Superman stares at him pointedly, clearly probing for answers as to what Tim really wants.

Tim's eyes narrow as he folds his arms over his chest. If Superman wants to play the coy reporter with him, then he can definitely go along with that, even if it might be a bit more expedient if he didn't. However, that doesn't mean that Tim likes Superman comparing him to Batman anymore than when Dick does it, even if he does intend to use it to his advantage. "I'm sure he does when he intends to lecture you."

Superman's eyes widen as he leans forward in his chair. "And what could you possibly have to lecture me about?" His expression and tone definitely seem to indicate that he can't fathom why a child thinks he has the right to lecture him, and it immediately makes Tim tense. He's had just about enough of people looking at him like he's just another rookie, especially since Tim thinks he's done a fairly decent job of proving that he's really not like the rest of the team. Then again, Tim guesses that since Dick was the pioneer of 'I'm not just a kid running around in spandex,' this JLA just isn't used to seeing someone his age act this way. It's a frustration that Tim honestly hasn't had to put up with since his early days as Robin, and he definitely hasn't missed it at all.

Tim continues to just stare at Superman impassively, not entirely sure if Superman is just playing stupid or if he really is that oblivious, but either way it doesn't bode well for the rest of their interaction. Tim hadn't really intended to do this with kid gloves, but if he's got to be a bit more Batman than he would normally like, then so be it. "The current situation between you and Superboy is unacceptable." Tim watches as Superman tenses and becomes rather defensive, but before the man can say anything to defend himself, Tim slices a hand through the air and glares at him, effectively silencing him. "I'm well aware of your reasons for distancing yourself from him, given the circumstances. However, as the reasonable adult here," Tim pauses and glares at him before continuing, "I think you have a certain obligation towards the kid."

Superman's expression hardens as he gets to his feet. "I do not have an obligation towards a clone, made without my knowledge, nor my consent, especially one that is dangerous and a possible threat to…"

"No, you don't have a responsibility nor an obligation to a clone. You have a responsibility and obligation to a young man, dealing with superpowers that you've already mastered, and are well aware can be a handful to deal with when your emotions are all over the place." Tim immediately cuts Superman off again, unwilling to hear anyone, even Superman, speak about Superboy that way, especially when the teen has come so far in such a short time. Progress which Superman knows nothing about, since he's been MIA for the whole damn process. Tim won't let him sit here and treat the Conner of this world like nothing more than a meaningless pile of cells…not when Superboy is a living, breathing, emotional person, who needs some guidance right now.

Superman glares at him, hands balled into fists and eyes turning just the faintest bit red, before he seemingly realizes how angry he is, and breathes out a large breath as he releases his clenched fists. "You don't understand."

"No, you don't understand!" Tim didn't really mean to shout, but he's done listening to Superman's excuses, and if that means he ends up having to enact one of his many escape plans, then so be it. "If you truly believe him to be a threat, then that's even more of a reason for you to keep a close eye on him and try to help him. He's not a worthless collection of cells, or a weapon to be used, or an inanimate object. He's a person. He thinks. He feels. He tries. If you think someone might try to use him against you, then talk to him, spend time with him. Make him see you as more than just the jerk who ignores him, and give him a reason to choose to stand beside you, if that day ever comes. Let him make that choice himself, but give him a reason to choose to be a better person. Give him a reason to do the right thing. But, most of all, just be Superman."

Tim takes a deep calming breath and locks his eyes on Superman unwaveringly. "You have always put others before yourself, and you need to do that now more than ever. I understand that being around Superboy has to be difficult for you, but Superboy didn't have any say in this. He shouldn't be treated with derision and ignored because of that. He deserves to have a mentor who understands him and can help him. Unfortunately, that requires another Super, so - unless your cousin is around here somewhere - you've got to be that person, because no one else can."

Tim waits for that to sink in a bit before he continues. Superman seems to be considering what he's saying, so Tim's fairly certain that things are going well - or at least, well enough. "Superboy needs to know that in a word full of extremely fragile people whom he could easily break, he can find a place for himself. He needs to know that he can be a part of this world and find a way to belong, even though he could just as easily destroy it as save it. However, above all, he needs someone in his life who can relate to all of that, who understands the fear as well as that pain and loneliness…someone who, at the very least, can show him that, while the fear will always be there, it doesn't have to be an indestructible wall between him and the rest of the world. He can allow himself to get close to people without letting that fear drive a wedge between him and everyone else because you've done it and you know how hard it is. However, you also know that it's worth it, and you can get him to see that as well."

Tim's still glaring harshly at Superman, just waiting for the man to argue with him when Superman abruptly sags, shoulders slumping as his gazes falls to the ground. Tim's never witnessed Superman looking so downtrodden or so much like Clark in the suit before. It's unsettling, but there's nothing that he can do about that, given that it appears Superman is finally starting to comprehend exactly how destructive his lack of a relationship with Superboy really can be. "You're right…you're absolutely right."

Tim gives a small smile. "Yeah, I try to be. Now, are you going to come back with me to the HQ and, at least, try to get to know Superboy?"

Superman nods as he gestures for Tim to follow him down the corridor that Black Canary disappeared down earlier. "Yes, I believe it's time I do just that."

Tim shakes his head. "Past time, really, and might I suggest that you start with an apology?" He really wants to suggest that it's what Mrs. Kent would want him to do, but Tim really doesn't want to find out what kind of a reaction that would garner.

Superman nods as they continue searching for Black Canary. "That…might be for the best."

Tim can't help but grin as he agrees. The two of them find Canary feeding a strange looking animal, which Tim knows from previous experience from his own world, is completely harmless. "Well, we're ready to go when you are, Black Canary."

She suddenly turns to face both of them with the biggest smile Tim has ever seen on her face. "Both of you, huh?" They both nod to her and her grin only grows. "Well, in that case," she turns back to the animal she was feeding, "see ya later, buddy." She pats the enormous animal on his head and then brushes off her hands on her jacket. "Okay, let's go."

When the three of them enter the HQ, all commotion seems to cease as all eyes land on Superman. Tim would laugh, if he wasn't preoccupied with making sure Superboy doesn't just get up and leave, or worse punch Superman in the face, not that the man doesn't deserve it. Superman, for his part, doesn't seem to understand the danger, or perhaps he just doesn't care, because he walks straight over to Superboy and places a hand on his shoulder. Superboy doesn't seem to know if he should take this as a good sign or just shove the man's hand off of him. As it stands, he leaves it there while he leans to the side to look straight at Tim with an expression of confusion, apprehension, and also a bit of 'what is he doing' thrown in. Tim gestures for him to just go along with it, and Superboy's expression shifts into the one he wears when he definitely wants to punch something. Tim just hopes that whatever he wants to punch isn't him this time.

Superman leans down, so that he's making direct eye contact with Superboy, and still doesn't remove his hand from the boy's shoulder, even though he most definitely can tell how apprehensive it's making him. "I must apologize for the way I've been treating you. It was unworthy of me to allow my personal problems with this situation to so negatively affect you. I'm sorry that I didn't realize how much my absence was bothering you and how much you could use my expertise when it comes to your powers. I'm also sorry that it took a rather extraordinary young man to show me all of this. I should have realized all of this sooner on my own and taken the necessary steps to be the mentor you deserve. I don't expect your forgiveness right away, of course, but I'd like us to get to know each other and work on gaining control of your powers. I would appreciate the opportunity to help in any way that I can."

Tim shakes his head as he rolls his eyes. Overly formal apology aside, it's a start. Superboy glances away from Superman and again turns his gaze onto to Tim, who gestures for him to say something. Superboy looks back to Superman and just shrugs. "Okay."

If Superman is disappointed with the lack of enthusiasm or the general lack of acknowledgment, he doesn't show it, instead he simple stands straighter and clasps a hand on Superboy's back as he practically forces the boy out of the room. "Okay, so what do you want to do first?"

Tim watches Superboy shrug, and then suggests that Superman tell him more about himself while they work on his soft landings some more. Tim sighs in relief that, so far, it seems to be going well. Before he can turn away and get back to one of his other two looming projects, a tiny body slams into him and tightly hugs him. "Dude, how in the world did you get Superman to come here and actually spend time with Superboy?" Robin is practically screaming in his ear.

Tim merely shrugs as he tries to extricate himself from Robin's hug. "I'm just talented, I guess."

When Tim finally manages to get free, a long thin hand settles onto his shoulder. "I'll say. Nice work, Red Robin."

Tim glances up at Black Canary and gives a small smile. "Thanks. I just hope everything works out."

Before anyone can respond, Tim receives a rather hard punch in the shoulder and turns to see Red Arrow standing there, staring at him. "Look at you running around solving everyone's problems."

Tim sighs heavily. He really doesn't want to have another discussion with Roy about his penchant for trying to help where he can. It's all he really knows how to do, after all. "I do what I can."

Roy rolls his eyes, but doesn't say anything else on the subject before Robin interrupts. "Well, come on, Red Robin. You and I have work to do."

The next thing Tim knows, he's being dragged out of the room by a very insistent Robin. Once they reach Tim's room, Robin practically shoves him inside and shuts the door behind him. "Okay, so… about Jason. I think that, assuming you can set up the safe house for him soon, we can move him, and then go from there."

Tim nods as he stretches. It's been a very long day so far and it looks like it's only going to get longer. "Yeah, I should have everything in place within a few days, and I'm still working on a few things as far as what to do with him after that, but we'll hold off on discussing that until I know if what I intend is a viable option."

Robin nods and then grins mischievously. "Well, in that case, you've got some time, right?"

Tim raises an eyebrow, knowing that wherever this is leading could be potentially horrible. "Yeah, I guess. Why?"

Dick practically throws himself back onto Tim's bed and lounges. "Great, then we can finally have that discussion about your home world that you keep putting off."

Tim groans inwardly as he drags a hand over his face. He should have seen this coming. He sighs heavily as he slumps in the lone chair in the room, knowing that there's no way he can put this off any longer. "Fine, what do you want to know?"

Dick sits up and seems to consider what he wants to ask first. "Why do you look so blank every time you're thinking of your home? And don't tell me it's because you miss it."

Tim sighs once more. It's not as if he was expecting this Dick to start somewhere simple, but this is a little thornier than Tim really wants to deal with right now. "I do miss it, but things back home are complicated, at least they were when I landed here."

Dick stares at him with utter confusion. "Complicated how?"

Tim tries to find the most delicate way to explain things without causing this Dick to drown in his own insecurities. "A new kid showed up and he needed a place in the family, and…and I wasn't entirely ready to give up mine yet, but these things happen."

Dick suddenly looks horrified. "They…they abandoned you? Your Dick abandoned you? How…how could you possibly tell me that he's a good brother after that?"

Tim shakes his head and gestures for Dick to calm down. "It's not like that…not exactly, anyway. The new kid had some issues…well, a lot of issues, really, but he's come a long way with Dick's help. It's a good thing, really, and he's been a great mentor and brother to the kid. Trust me; we're all very relieved that Dick's managed to do so well with him. However, that also meant that I had to move on and figure a few things out on my own before I was strictly ready. It worked out in the end and Batman is back, so there are no hard feelings there. It just is what it is."

Dick stares at him quizzically. "What do you mean Batman is back?"

Tim groans for letting that slip, but he figures there's no harm in giving a simple answer. "Long story short, Batman got lost in time and I found him and brought him home, so problem solved."

Dick leans closer to him, seemingly enraptured by the prospect. "You brought him back all by yourself?"

Tim shakes his head and tries not to think about the kind of help he had to resort to during that time period. "No, I had help."

Dick raises an eyebrow as he folds his arms over his chest. "You don't make that sound like a good thing. Didn't your Dick help you?"

Tim shakes his head and does his best to keep his face and his voice neutral. "He was busy in Gotham, trying to keep the new kid in line. Again, he did a great job with him."

"So, who did help you?"

Tim shrugs as noncommittally as he can as he decides to change the subject. "Friends mostly. Now, don't you have other questions you'd like to ask?"

Dick nods enthusiastically as he bounces on Tim's bed a bit. "So, what's your Batman like?"

Tim laughs at the question, but decides to answer all the same. "From what I can tell, he's a bit gruffer than yours, but they seem to have the same personality…distant, but caring."

Dick smiles as he nods. "Yeah, sounds about right. So, what is the issue between you and your Dick?"

Tim shrugs as he sighs heavily. "Again a long story, but the abridged version is that mistakes were made on both sides, and we've yet to have the chance to actually hash it all out."

"Because you ended up landing here?" Dick sounds genuinely upset that Tim being here is causing him more problems back home. It's rather endearing, all things considered.

Tim nods, but makes sure that Dick is paying attention to everything he has to say. He doesn't want Dick or anyone else feeling guilty for benefiting from Tim's little multiverse adventure. "That, among other things. As I said, things were complex and not exactly going well back home before all of this happened, and none of the problems going on back home are going to improve with time away. At least, I don't believe they will. Although, I'm not entirely sure going back will really solve anything either. Things have steadily gotten worse, not better, for a while now, and I don't think being here can really change that."

"Why not?"

Tim looks away and just stares at his hands, not really sure what to say. Before he knows it words are just sort of tumbling out of his mouth. "Because I'm not entirely sure I even have a place back home…not now…not after everything that's been going on. I thought things would return to normal and improve when Bruce came back, but they didn't. Heck, I don't even know what normal is anymore, and what if this is as good as it can possibly get? What if the distance between me and everyone else was just inevitable? What if this is just the way it was meant to be and there is no way to get back what was lost?"

Tim just continues to stare helplessly at his empty hands until he feels two strong, little arms wrap around him. He hadn't actually meant to say any of that out loud…no matter how long it has all been bouncing around inside of his head, churning his stomach and making him ponder if home is even the right word for the world he came from. "Then stay here. You can have a place here. Heck, you already do. You don't have to go back. You don't have to return to people who don't make you feel wanted."

Tim just shakes his head. "That's…that's probably not the best course of action."

Robin tightens his hold on him and glares at him fiercely. "You don't know that."

Tim doesn't argue, because he's not entirely sure that he can at the moment, so instead he just sighs heavily and pats Dick on the back. "True enough, but I think this is a discussion for another time. Right now, it would probably be best if we go check on Superboy and make sure he didn't 'accidently' punch Superman in the face or something."

Dick squeezes him one final time before releasing the embrace and turning towards the door. "I bet he purposefully landed on the guy's foot at least once."

Tim can't help but snicker as the two of them leave his room. "Yeah, probably." He has no idea what he intends to do about all of the problems he has going on back home, but Tim figures it's not exactly something that he needs to think about or deal with until he has some viable way to get back home. That is, of course, assuming he doesn't take Robin up on his offer. And Tim honestly doesn't know if he will or not. It's not as though he hasn't been considering it ever since he realized exactly how much he can help here, but Tim has never truly abandon anything before, so he's not entirely certain that he can just abandoned his home, especially for something so petty as actually being needed and wanted.

The End (for now)


	16. Chapter 16

Tim meets Robin on a rooftop in the middle of Gotham. He breathes in the night air, feeling the most relaxed that he has ever since he arrived here, which isn't saying much, because he's still extremely tense and practically thrumming with anticipation. He needs tonight to go well…otherwise; all of his delicate planning will have been for nothing. Robin, for his part, looks completely at ease with a smile on his face. Tim would roll his eyes if he had expected anything else, but well…Robin is Dick Grayson and an eternal optimist…no matter what Earth he's from, and Tim's fairly certain that Robin still doesn't quite grasp how important and difficult this meeting is going to be. "Would you relax? The kid's like what? Ten? It'll be fine."

This time Tim does roll his eyes, because he's certain now that Dick definitely doesn't understand how difficult Jason Todd…any Jason Todd, can be. "Just stick to the plan and let me do the talking."

Dick nods and motions for Tim to lead the way. "You know, you never did tell me how you intend to keep both Jason and the safe house secret from Batman when you know that he has both of us bugged with trackers."

Tim merely shrugs as he makes his way from rooftop to rooftop. "The same way that I hide my activities back home. I created a code that overrides the tracker's program and shows us on a normal patrol route of my choosing. The information is a conglomeration of different patrols I've done on particularly slow evenings, and then I'll double check the information against reported crimes in the area once we turn in for the evening, so there aren't any inconsistencies."

Robin pauses on the next rooftop. "Hold it. How often do you feel the need to hide your activities back home?"

Tim shrugs again. The fact of the matter is he only really saw a need to do so once Damian came into the picture, but that was mostly to avoid having his line cut during patrol. After a while, it just sort of became habit when he didn't want to be bothered on patrol. After all, it's not as if he's ever used this particular trick on busy nights or when there was a crisis. He's only ever used it when it was slow and he needed time to himself. "Sometimes a bird needs to fly with no restrictions."

Dick doesn't seem to like the implications, but after a long moment he nudges Tim in the side with his elbow. "Well, if you end up staying here, maybe you won't need this particular trick as often."

Tim doesn't know how to respond to that. He's not entirely sure that he wants to stay here. After all, even with everything going on back home, he still has friends and family there, but…but there's a part of him that's truly tempted by the offer, even though Tim knows that he doesn't have a place here anymore than he does back home.

Still, at least this Dick wants him around and they get along fairly well. It's a nice change of pace from the stunted conversations and awkward rooftop rendezvous Tim endures back home. Tim shakes his head as he motions for Dick to keep moving. He honestly doesn't want to think about his home or the possibility of staying here right now. Instead, he'd rather focus on the task at hand. "Come on, Robin. We can't waste anymore time."

Robin nods and mummers under his breath. "Sure thing, bio kid."

Tim nearly flubs his next landing as he glares at Dick. "I am not B's bio kid." The growl probably doesn't help his cause any, but Tim has enough problems without that particular rumor going around.

Dick smirks, evidently self-satisfied with finally getting a reaction out of him. "Prove it."

Tim doesn't get a chance to respond before Dick is flying through the air, flipping, and laughing manically. Tim merely groans and follows at a far more subdue pace. Its times like these that Tim appreciates that the Dick Grayson back home is older than him, even if he does miss the nights when he and Dick would spend the majority of the evening joking around, train surfing, and playing rooftop tag. Still, Tim's not entirely sure how this Bruce has managed to put up with this for this long, but, then again, from what little information Tim has been able to gather so far, he knows this Bruce isn't as grim as his own…not yet, anyway. Tim's hoping that this mission will stave that off for a bit longer.

When Tim and Dick arrive at Mrs. Miller's apartment, she invites them both in without hesitation. It's not exactly how Red Robin is used to being treated, but Robin doesn't even bat an eye before following her into the tiny kitchen where Jason is sitting, munching on a peanut butter sandwich. Tim notices the distinct lack of jelly and nearly laughs, because some things really do never change. He perks up the moment that he sees them, which makes Tim's stomach drop. "Hey, Jason, how are you doing?"

Jason drops his sandwich on the plate and gives him an extremely guarded look as though he already knows that it's bad news. "You…you couldn't find my mom, could you?"

Tim takes a deep calming breath and gestures for Jason to follow him outside onto the fire escape. He looks as though he's going to protest and demand that Tim tell him whatever the bad news is right here, but one glance over at Mrs. Miller and he changes his mind. "Uh, hey, Mrs. Miller, my…uh…friends and I are gonna step outside for a sec."

She smiles at him and motions for him to get a move on. "Good...good…that'll give me some time to whip something up for them."

Tim tries to insist that it isn't necessary, but she's almost as persistent as Alfred. After five minutes, Tim finally gives up and just goes along with it as he makes his way outside onto the fire escape. Robin and Jason silently follow behind him. Once Tim is sure that the window is firmly shut behind them, he gives Robin a minuscule nod. Dick sits down on the cold metal platform and motions for Jason to do the same. Jason, for his part, merely folds his arms over his chest and shakes his head. "What's going on?"

Tim heaves a large sigh as he grabs a hold of both of Jason's shoulders. He doesn't want the kid to feel boxed in, thus the fire escape in the first place, but he knows Jason well enough to know that the kid will bolt at the first sign of trouble. "We found your mother, Jason. I'm so sorry, but she was murdered." Tim gives Jason a moment to process what he's said before continuing. "The man who did it has already confessed to the authorities and is in prison. I know it doesn't help, but I wanted you to know that."

Jason is staring down at the ground, tears slowly leaking from his eyes, sniffling softly as his hands ball into fists. He's shaking slightly, biting his bottom lip, and looking like the angry, heartbroken kid that he is, which has Tim gripping his shoulders a bit tighter. That's all it takes for Jason to unleash a wail and fall into Tim's chest. Tim doesn't hesitate to wrap his arms around Jason and just hold him, and he's equally unsurprised when Dick gets up and joins in on the hug. Tim doesn't hush him or tell Jason that it's going to be okay. He's suffered through enough losses to know that it doesn't actually help. Instead, he merely strokes Jason's hair and lets the kid fall apart.

After what feels like an eternity of trying to comfort Jason and failing, Tim feels Jason's hold on him slacken as his sobs quiet. He slowly releases Jason, making sure to keep a least one hand on him, so that the kid knows that they aren't just going to deliver terrible news and fly away. He waits until Jason seems calm enough to at least attempt to consider their offer before speaking. "We want you to know that you're not alone, okay? You still have the communicator that I gave you and you can use that at any time for any reason. I know that the last thing you want is to go into the system, right?"

At Jason's tiny nod, Tim continues, "I've already checked, I know that you don't have any other family. Now, I would love it if you would just stay here with Mrs. Miller until I worked out something more permanent for you, but I also know that you don't like imposing on people, and you probably already feel like you're imposing on her, right?" Jason nods again, before giving Tim a hard glare.

Tim knows that he needs to tread carefully here. It's one of the reasons that he's the one explaining all of this to Jason instead of Dick, even though Dick is far better at comforting people. "I've got a strong feeling that if I left you here, you'd sneak out and do whatever it took to take care of yourself, right?"

Again Jason nods without actually speaking. "All of that is why Robin and I want to extend an invitation to you, of sorts." Jason stares up at him skeptically, mouth still firmly shut. Tim would love to know what the kid is thinking right now, but he can work with the silent suspicion. After all, he's well acquainted to it after spending so much time with Batman over the years. "I know, I know, this is a lot to take in and you're waiting for something horrible…well, more horrible, but all that I'm asking for you to do is hear me out, okay?"

Jason inclines his head as he visibly braces himself. Tim gives him a moment to just breathe before launching into their plan. "Robin and I set up a safe house for you to stay in. It's only temporary, but it's well stocked with everything that you need and we will continue to stock it for you. I'm currently working on finding you a more permanent place to stay with someone that I trust as well as someone I think that you can learn to both trust and get along with. You are by no means being forced into this, okay? I just…I want you to give it…give me a chance. Does that sound alright?"

Jason narrows his eyes and stares at them distrustfully. "And what would I have to do to earn this?"

Tim gives a small half smile. He already anticipated this, and if this Jason Todd is anything like Tim's own, then he's fairly confident that he can make this work. "All you have to do is go to school regularly and try your best. I'll set up everything for you - paperwork wise - so that you don't need to worry about the system. Robin and I will both offer you any other assistance that you need until such a time as I can set up a meeting between you and my friend."

Jason glares at him, still weary of this whole thing. "Your friend? You mean the one that you eventually want to take me in?"

Tim nods. "If that's what you both want. Again, it might be a while before I can set that up, though."

Jason folds his arms over his chest as his glare intensifies. "Uh huh, and what happens if your friend doesn't want me or I don't want to live with them?"

Tim hums in thought. "Well, then you and I work together to find a solution that we both agree with. As I said, I'm not forcing you into anything, Jason. We won't move forward on any plan unless you also agree with it, so what do you say?"

Jason takes a long moment to mull things over. Tim is actually quite impressed with Dick's patience during this whole ordeal, though he does nervously shift from one foot to the other when he thinks no one is paying attention. Tim definitely needs to work on that with him the moment that he finds time. Jason abruptly breathes out a heavy breath. "I want to see this safe house before I agree to anything."

Tim nods and keeps his sigh of relief to himself. "That's fine. We can take you there." He mentally calculates the best way to get there before grinning at Jason. "How would you like to get there via the rooftops?"

Jason's eyes immediately light up, but he doesn't agree right away. "And how exactly would that work?"

Tim kneels down and gestures for Jason to hop up onto his back. "Come on, if you don't like it, we'll drop down and take the bus, though, I've got a feeling that you're going to love it."

Jason hesitates for a moment before climbing on and holding on tight. Tim smirks as he stands up and turns toward Robin. "Inform Mrs. Miller that we're going to take Jason out for a little while."

Robin nods and disappears back into the apartment as Tim starts making his way to the roof with Jason riding on his back.

Jason huffs out a breath. "Only a little while?"

Tim nods as he hoists Jason slightly further up on his back. "Yes, I don't want you to rush into a decision, so you're going to stay with Mrs. Miller for a little while longer. Once you've made up your mind you can contact me via the communicator that I gave you and we'll move accordingly."

"You really are making this my choice." Jason sounds both astonished as well as stunned.

Tim does his best not to sigh in exasperation. Truth be told, he probably shouldn't be doing any of this to start with - not to mention allowing a child to decide their own fate - but…well, Jason Todd deserves this much. Besides, it's not as if Jason hasn't been living, more or less, on his own for some time now. "I know that a lot has happened and you're still in the process of absorbing it all, but I really do want as much of this as possible to be your decision, especially since I've got a feeling not a lot of things have actually been your choice thus far."

Jason doesn't get a chance to respond before Dick appears, seemingly out of nowhere, holding three small plastic bags of sandwiches. "Mrs. Miller insisted that we eat these."

Jason doesn't hesitate before grabbing one of the bags, tearing it open, and then taking a large bite out of the sandwich. Tim's just thankful that he's decided to continue wearing his cowl when he's outside of the HQ, because he does not put it past Jason to get peanut butter in his hair. Before Tim can suggest that they save snack time until after they've made it to the safe house, Dick has half a sandwich stuffed into his mouth as well. Tim merely shakes his head and gestures for the other two to share his sandwich. However, he's not expecting both of them to protest loudly and insist that eat it, and then glare at him the entire time until it's finished.

Once they're both satisfied that the sandwich is well and truly gone, Tim takes off across the rooftops with Jason on his back and Dick tumbling through the air beside him. He can't hold back a smile at Jason's whoop of delight in his ear. He's relieved that he can give Jason this one moment, if nothing else. When they arrive at the safe house, Tim takes his time disarming the security in order for Jason to see exactly how secure this place really is. The moment that the three of them cross the threshold, Dick grabs Jason's arm and drags him through the entire place top to bottom. Tim lets the two of them explore every nook and cranny in silence.

However, he does have to stifle a laugh when he hears Jason's shocked gasp of amazement when he enters one of the bedrooms upstairs. Tim may have used his memory of Jason's old bedroom at the manor to his advantage. After all, Jason's book collection was impressive and extensive. Jason and Dick suddenly clamber their way down the steps and into the fully stocked kitchen. Dick's talking nonstop and Jason is just nodding his head as he glances around.

The three of them spend a little over an hour at the safe house. Dick spends the majority of the time pointing out things that he thinks Jason will like about it and answering any questions Jason has, while Tim makes mental notes of anything Jason seems to want or need. If Jason agrees to stay here, while Tim works on the second part of his grand plan, then he knows he'll have plenty of time to gather any necessary items. However, having a list to start from always puts Tim at ease…at least slightly.

When Jason indicates that he's ready to leave, Tim is relieved to see that he's far more relaxed and happy than when they arrived. He knows that it's only a momentary relief from the crushing grief of losing his mother, but it's something. Tim's not surprised that for the return trip Dick sticks close to them, chattering nonstop, and generally being a great distraction for both Tim and Jason. When they arrive at Mrs. Miller's apartment, Jason seems reluctant to go back inside. Tim doesn't really know what to do or say. He knows from experience how much useless platitudes just seem to hurt more.

Dick, on the other hand, seems to know exactly what to say. He wraps Jason in a tight embrace and forces Jason's head down onto his shoulder when tears start to form in the other boy's eyes once more. "I know it's hard, but we're here for you, okay? You can call either of us any time. We'll always answer, no matter what."

Jason hugs Dick back and nods. "Should…should I tell Mrs. Miller?"

Tim's relieved to finally be asked a question that he can easily answer. "That's entirely up to you. If you want to tell her, then feel free. However, if you don't…well, you can always talk to us about it."

Jason sniffs once before running his forearm across his eyes, swiping away the remaining tears. He gives himself a few moments to compose himself before waving at them both. "I should get back inside."

Dick gives Jason one last hug, and then practically forces the other boy to promise to call them. Once they're both certain Jason's inside Mrs. Miller's apartment, and he's not going to run off, Tim lets out a relieved sigh. The night has been a trying one, but Tim doesn't think it could have possibly gone any better.

Tim gives himself a moment to just relax before turning towards Dick. "Wanna patrol a little before we head back?"

The smile that overtakes Dick face is answer enough, but the kid still lets out an excited, "Yes!"

They make their way to the roof in silence and take off in the opposite direction of the safe house. At first, patrol looks like it's going to be rather quiet. They stop a few purse snatchers and a few attempted car thefts with minimal effort. Tim's actually relieved that the evening is turning out to be an easy one, given the long day that he's had so far. He's just about to suggest that the two of them head back to the HQ when they hear the distinct sound of glass shattering and screams. The commotion is happening mere blocks from where they've paused to rest. Tim watches as people flee the area with a sinking feeling.

There are too many panicked civilians running away for the commotion to be caused by a simple break in. He motions for Robin to stay close to him as they make their way to higher ground. Tim refuses to jump into whatever is going on without seeing the scope of the problem first. However, it only takes a simple glance at the two groups tearing into each other to know that a gang turf war has just broken out. Normally this is about the time when Tim would call for back-up, but he doesn't think the team would be a good choice for this.

They might have improved drastically in a lot of areas since he's been here, but the fact remains that this type of problem requires more team work and subtly than the team is strictly accustomed to as of right now. Besides, invulnerable and super powered teens or not, Tim won't endanger the team for a Gotham problem when he has Robin beside him. Still, Tim finds it hard to ignore the voice in the back of his head, which sounds noticeably like Alfred, telling him to call Batman…or literally anyone.

The only problem with that plan being that Batman is currently with the JL, and if Tim calls him away from the Justice League for an admittedly small gang turf war, he can pretty much kiss all progress he's made with proving himself goodbye. Still, the prospect of entering said turf war with only Robin at his back leaves Tim feeling like the first time that he went on a mission with Damian. In other words, no good can come from this, and this is going to somehow end up being Tim's fault.

Both gangs are relatively small, all things considered. They should have enough smoke bombs and batarangs between them to section off smaller groups from both gangs and take them out quickly and efficiently. If they stick to the shadows, move quickly, and stay focused on their own groups while the main gang members are distracted by trying to kill each other, the two of them should be able to end this with minimal damage all around. Tim turns to relay his plan to Robin, only to find Dick already leaping off of the roof, and heading straight for the middle of everything.

Tim dives off of the building the moment that he finishes calculating Dick's trajectory. He curses his own stupidity. Tim knows that he has no one to blame for Dick's actions but himself. He's known this Dick Grayson long enough to know how impulsive he is, and instead of addressing the issue the way that he should have weeks ago, Tim has been running around, sticking his nose in everyone else's business. He's been promising himself that he was going to work on Dick's lack of patience for seemingly forever now, and instead he put it off, and now his irresponsible otiosity is most likely going to get them both killed.

Tim lands a mere second after Robin. He's able to force Dick into a crouch and throw his cape over both of them as bullets slice through the air. He has to find them an exit, but it's going to be rather difficult with both gangs now working in tandem to end their lives. Tim's done a thorough examination of Robin's current suit, enough to know that Tim's cape is far more efficient when it comes to absorbing the impact of bullets than Dick's, so Tim gestures for Dick to throw down a smoke bomb as he does his best to keep them both covered.

Tim knows that the moment the smoke bomb hits the ground both sides are going to start firing wildly, and keeping them both properly covered with his cape won't be an option, so, as soon as Dick's fingers reach into his belt, Tim reaches up to undo his cape. Before the smoke bomb even hits the ground, Tim has his cape secured around Robin. He can tell that Dick wants to protest, but now really isn't the time. Tim all but shoves Dick toward shelter and gestures for him to get to the roof. Dick opens his mouth to protest, but one glare from Tim has him moving immediately.

Tim knows that if he wants to give Robin adequate cover and a chance to get away, then he can't follow, so he ducks and rolls and makes a break for another building on the other side of the street. Unfortunately, this means cutting straight across enemy lines with little to no cover for himself. Still, this isn't the first time that Tim has done something extremely ill advised to save a Robin.

In fact, it's almost comforting in a sick kind of way, because this is the first time that Tim hasn't questioned what he's doing in the entire time that he's been here. Something just sort of slots into place inside of Tim when he's faced with impossible odds and a Robin in peril, and it makes him breathe easier. He doesn't know why exactly, but this is the most relief that he's felt since he's arrived here. He's got a theory that it's because this is standard Red Robin behavior. The fact that the Robin in question is Dick Grayson instead of Damian is inconsequential.

Tim crouches low, taking out his bo staff, and hitting anyone who gets in his way hard and fast. He doesn't have the time, energy, supplies, or skill to take on both gangs at once, but he can make himself a clear path to his exit. It's not pretty, and, if his own Dick Grayson was around, he'd certainly have something to say about the lack of finesse, but it'll work, and right now that's all Tim is looking for.

His exit is within sight, but his sigh of relief is cut short as he's brought to an abrupt halt by a small group of gang members, who have broken off from the main horde to surround him. Tim guesses he's just lucky that the rest of the gang members are preoccupied with killing each other rather than attacking him. They omit the usual banter and immediately close in on him. Honestly, Tim is relieved that they skip the banter and go straight into fighting. At this juncture, it would just be a waste of time, and Tim really needs to find Dick and get back to the HQ before anything else can go wrong.

The only upside about the gang members surrounding him like this is that none of them seem willing to use their guns for fear of hitting one of their friends. The downside, of course, is that guns aren't the only weapons that they have on their personage. Tim manages to sweep the legs out from underneath one of his attackers with his bo staff only to have to roll away from another man swinging a pipe towards his head.

He kicks out and disarms the guy with the pipe and is instantaneously hit in the side with a length of chain. The air rushes out of his lungs, but Tim manages to bring his bo staff around in enough time to avoid another hit. Unfortunately, the chain wraps around his bo staff, and the guy wielding the heavy chain is absolutely huge. Tim doesn't bother trying to play tug of war to keep a hold of his weapon, knowing that the longer he focuses on this one opponent the more opportunity he gives the others.

Tim blocks a kick to his diaphragm and spins away from a girl brandishing a machete. He all but throws another gang member into her and watches as they tumble to the ground in a fit of flailing limbs. A behemoth of a man rushes Tim from behind, and he barely manages to back flip over the guy and land on another gang member. The girl he landed on crumbles under his weight, but Tim's moving before he even registers the flash of a blade.

This gang member is different from the others. She isn't brandishing any old weapon that she happened to find, and her skill with the butterfly knife is quite impressive. In fact, it's impressive enough that Tim finds himself dodging her swift strikes and using nearly all of his energy to keep out of her range of attack. He flips and spins away, doing his best to stay close enough that none of the other gang members can grab him, but far enough away that she can't lunge forward. He really wishes that he still had his bo staff in hand. As it stands, his options are limited. He's tiring and Tim needs to end this soon, lest he slip up.

There is a wall of gang members surrounding him and Tim knows that if he doesn't deal with the girl with the knife soon, they're gonna close in on him, and then he really will be out of options. However, he really only sees one way out of this, and it's not a good exit. Tim grabs three batarangs and throws them at the girl. As expected, she dodges or blocks all of them, but she's distracted just enough for Tim to make his move. He closes the distance between them, spins away from the slash of her blade, and makes a break for it.

The girl is quicker than he thought, before Tim can launch himself over the remaining gang members toward the fire escape on the building; she's in front of him again. Unfortunately, Tim can't halt his forward progression, and this time her blade hits its mark dead on. Tim lets out a hiss of pain as the blade penetrates his tunic directly between his ribs. The pain is so sudden and intense that he nearly unfurls in the middle of his flip. It takes every ounce of his training to remain in position and then grab a hold of the fire escape. He can barely breathe as he scrambles up the fire escape and over the rooftops, but somehow he manages.

Tim is certain that the gang members are following him, but he can't focus on that right now. The only thing that he can think about is the burning agony ripping through his chest and the fact that he needs to find Robin. Tim's feet pound against the rooftop as he doubles over in pain. He can barely stand and he can hardly breathe. He doesn't even know where he's going anymore. He just knows that he needs to get away. Tim makes the jump to the next rooftop and lands in a crumbled heap.

His breath rasps out of his chest in short gasps. He attempts to get his feet underneath him, but every time he crashes back to the roof. Tim can't move. He keeps trying and failing, and he doesn't know what to do. He has to find Robin and get the hell out of here, but he can't even catch his breath. Tim shuts his eyes tightly and tries to just breathe. Instead, he coughs and his entire body feels like it's on fire with the effort. He scrambles to get to his knees, at least, but that only causes him more pain. Tim would laugh at the irony that a gang turf war on a different earth is what kills him, if he could just get enough breath to do so.

The next thing that Tim knows there's a small, firm hand on his shoulder, pushing him onto his back. He tries to open his eyes and focus on the figure in front of him, but his vision swims and darkens. "I found him, but I need help. It's bad, B. You need to hurry."

Tim wants to tell whoever is talking not to bother. He knows the feeling of a pierced lung, and it's not as if he's exceptionally useful now, anyway. He couldn't even protect Robin, which is just unforgivable. After all, this is entirely his own damn fault. He saw the problem with Robin and he didn't bother to do anything about it. So, why should anyone care about him?

Tim failed…failed the people here…failed his family back home…failed everyone. He wants so desperately to just let everything fade away, but he can't. His mind races and Tim wonders why anyone would ever bother to think about him at all. After all, he's not even from here. They don't know him…not really, so they shouldn't be concerned. Besides, it's not as if he's entirely certain that the people back home are even bothering to still think about him. It doesn't make any sense to him. Why would anyone waste their time on him? He's not even useful anymore.

"Red Robin, look at me. Come on, look at me. It's gonna be okay. B's on his way. You're gonna be okay."

Tim tries to focus on the face in front of him one last time, but he can't. His vision is blurry and he's losing consciousness. Tim shakes his head as he does his best to say everything that he needs to say, but, instead, all that he can do is gasp out a weak, "Sorry."

The End (for now)


	17. Chapter 17

Tim awakes with a low groan. He can't see anything beyond the soft glow from the machines around him. He doesn't know where he is at first, which would normally cause him a small amount of panic, but everything is a bit nebulous at the moment. Tim's chest hurts, but it's only a dull ache, so he can only assume that he's on some fairly strong pain medication. He'd thank whoever has supplied said medication if his throat wasn't so dry. Tim tries to sit up, but he immediately hisses in pain and practically flops back down on the surprisingly soft medical bed that he's lying on.

There's the hushed sound of footsteps moving towards him from somewhere in the darkness, and then dim lights appear over his head. Normally, the lights wouldn't bother him, but right now they're blinding. He tightly squeezes his eyes shut, and tries to shield his face with an arm, but the movement causes another spike of pain to explode across his chest.

A firm, but gentle, hand on his arm stops him from moving any further. "I suggest, young sir, you cease any unnecessary movements. You had a collapsed lung and require bed rest for at least a week. However, despite your wound, your oxygen levels have been steady and stable since the initial collapse was repaired. In a week or two, you should be able to return to light training."

Tim's in the cave, and Alfred…Alfred sounds just the same. His calm demeanor, as well as, Alfred's stern insistence that Tim will follow his orders on this no matter what has Tim nearly in tears. He feels like he's home, but he knows that it can't be possible. If he was home, then there would be questions...so many questions. Such as, how Tim could have possibly been careless enough to get stabbed like this or where has Tim been, and the fact that there's none of that makes Tim want to sob. Alfred seems to realize his distress and leans over him to check the bandage on his chest. Tim's eyes finally adjust to the light, and he's suddenly struck by how young this Alfred is.

Everything hits Tim all at once, and there are a thousand things that he wants to say, but all that comes out is a choked, "Robin…where's Robin? Is Dick okay, Alfred?" If Alfred is surprised that Tim knows his name, he doesn't show it…not that Tim would expect anything else.

However, Alfred does hold him down again, seemingly afraid that Tim will foolishly try to get to his feet if he doesn't, and Tim can't honestly say that he wouldn't if Alfred let go. He takes as deep of a breath as he can as he tries to calm down. "Master Richard is quite alright. He's at school at the moment, but the young master will return in a matter of hours. He regaled both Master Bruce and me of your harrowing ordeal and how you protected him. Master Dick also mentioned that your injury was ultimately his fault. Thank you for everything you have done, young sir. You are quite a splendid young man."

Tim shakes his head. He didn't do anything worthy of Alfred's gratitude. "No, I should have known that Dick was going to jump into the middle of that fight, and I should have stopped him. I know how impulsive he is, and yet, I did nothing. I should have grabbed his cape and told him my plan before he ever got the chance to leap off of that rooftop. The whole incident is my fault."

Alfred's eyes narrow in obvious concern as his grip on Tim turns to a more soothing gesture than a restraining one. "I assure you, young sir, Master Richard's actions are his own, and you are not responsible for his impetuosity. I appreciate that you feel such kinship and protectiveness towards the young master, but neither Master Bruce nor I blame you in the slightest for the incident."

Tim sighs heavily, ignoring how much pain that causes him, as he tries to make this Alfred realize the simple truth that Tim is the only one who messed up. "You don't understand. I'm in charge of training the team. I know that Dick has a bad habit of acting first and thinking later. I should have done something about it weeks ago, but I've been too busy focusing on other things. Dick could have been seriously injured and that would have been on me, because…"

"No, it's my responsibility." Tim's head snaps to the side at the sound of Bruce's voice. He stares in wonder at the open expression of pain and concern on Bruce's face…well, open for Batman, at least. Sometimes Tim forgets how young everyone is here, especially this JLA, but the fact that this is a Batman who hasn't lost a Robin is only more evident without the cowl and the sheer fact that, despite knowing that Tim knows who he is, Bruce isn't wearing it right now. After all, his own Bruce's eyes aren't nearly that expressive…not anymore, and he would most likely still be wearing his mask, even if the person in question did know who he is underneath. "You may be in charge of training the team, but Robin's recklessness is something I should have dealt with before ever allowing him to join the team."

Tim shakes his head again. "No, the team is good for Robin and sometimes Dick's natural instinct to move first is exactly what's needed."

"This shouldn't have happened. He should have waited for your order."

Tim would really like to sit up. It wouldn't help with this conversation at all, but it would make him feel less exposed. However, Tim's smart enough to know from his earlier attempts that it's not an option. Still, it's frustrating to be lying down while trying to convince Bruce that completely snubbing out Dick's reckless impulsiveness is both impossible and a bad idea. "I'm not you, Bruce. Robin and I haven't actually been working side by side long enough for him to instinctually follow my lead the way that he does with you. Quite frankly, this was inevitable. I miscalculated and didn't step in sooner with his personal training like I did with the others."

Bruce shakes his head and glances down at him with an expression full of self-deprecation and remorse. "The team's training isn't solely your responsibility. Black Canary and I are still available to assist at any time. Allowing you to lead their training seemed to be what was best for both you and the team. We didn't intend to place such a heavy burden on you. Black Canary and I will take over."

Tim's breath catches in his chest the moment that the words leave Bruce's mouth. It feels like having Robin taken away from him all over again, and it leaves him feeling lost and empty. He doesn't want this. Bruce can't do this to him. He can't take away the only constructive thing that Tim can do here.

This Bruce doesn't know him, and he certainly doesn't know what Tim's capable of. This one anencephalous mistake shouldn't change everything that he's been working so hard for. It shouldn't get in the way of all of his plans. Tim knows that he can help the team more than two heroes with full-time lives. He also knows that none of them would understand everything else that Tim has been working on. He can help the people here. He can help all of them, but not if he loses this.

Tim can't have anything else taken away from him - not yet - not when he's still trying to prove himself, while simultaneously piecing himself back together. He can't let this end the way that being Robin did. He can't be replaced and shut out again by the very people that he's trying to help…not this time. "No, I can still train them. I want to continue training them. I'm good at this. You know that I'm good at this. You wouldn't have allowed me to start training them if you didn't think that I was capable. I'm better than this!" Tim gestures to himself, indicating his currently wounded state. "I can do it. You don't need to fuss over me. I'm not…I am not this worthless."

Bruce's eyes narrow as he lays a heavy hand on Tim's shoulder and squeezes. He stares directly into Tim's eyes, unwavering. It's calming in a way that reminds Tim of his early days as Robin, which only hurts him more. He doesn't deserve this Bruce's unguarded expressions. He's not Dick. He hasn't earned them yet.

Bruce gives him a hard stare, and Tim can see how much Bruce just wants to lean down and hug him. Tim wonders if this Bruce is the type of person who would give into that impulse if Tim wasn't injured. It's a startling thought. "No one here believes you are worthless. We appreciate everything that you've done for the team, but you don't need to do anything. Once you've healed, if you want to continue training the team, then you can return to it. As for right now, you need to calm yourself and rest. You don't need to prove anything to me. You've earned your place here. I know we aren't your family and you don't see this as home, but you have more than proven yourself an ally and a friend. We're happy to have you here, Red Robin, for as long as you're stranded on our world, but none of that means that this world's problems are yours to carry."

Tim desperately wants to protest. It doesn't matter if this world's problems are his own or not. He's here and he's capable, so they might as well be his problem. However, Tim doesn't know how to convey that to this Bruce. He doesn't think that this Bruce would be so willing to allow Tim to do what he does best. After all, Tim has never been this Batman's partner, so he doesn't know anything about Tim - not really - not yet, at least. The thing is, though, Tim has started to do what he can here, but there's still so much more that he could do…so much more that he needs to do, and he won't let Bruce, or anyone else, stop him. Tim doesn't know how to quit. It's just not who he is.

He doesn't exactly know how to handle a Bruce, who's this candid, and he has no good way to make both Alfred and Bruce see the truth, but Tim is nothing if not persistent. After all, they don't know him well enough to know that this isn't standard practice for him, nor do they know what Tim's usual responsibilities, both in and out of costume, entail. This Bruce and Alfred have no way of knowing that Tim has been living alone for the better part of a year and that he's spent that time relying solely on himself, because…well, there are a lot of reasons. They don't know that he's taken on far more taxing tasks than training kids, lecturing grown adults, and trying to keep certain people from terrible fates. They have no idea that Tim can be more…that he will be more if that's what's needed.

It's the way that Tim has always been. Abruptly switching Earths has certainly changed a lot, but it hasn't changed who he is…not really. Tim swallows down all of his emotions as he tries to think past the pain in his chest. He's exasperated his condition with all of the talking and stress, but it's nothing that he can't handle. "I know that this world's problems aren't necessarily my own, but I'm here, and I'm skilled. I want to help as much as I can. It's what I do. You're right, though. I can't help much in my current state, but I'm not completely useless, either. I know that my current condition requires me to rest and limit the amount of stress I put on my body, but I'm still fully capable of talking the team through training and…"

"No." The one word is clipped and short, and it leaves no room for argument. Tim closes his eyes and breathes through his nose. He's not entirely certain if he's more exasperated or despondent at the moment. His eyes flutter open again, however, when he feels Bruce's hand return to his shoulder. Tim stares unblinkingly at Bruce's unguarded troubled expression, but he doesn't know how to feel about Bruce's blatant, desperate need to comfort him. It leaves Tim feeling out of place, more-so than he ever has before. "I don't know what the rules are on your world, but here, there will be no work until you're healed. When you're well enough to be moved, you can choose to either stay here or return to the HQ, but until then you will remain here, resting and relaxing."

Tim huffs out a breath. He knows that Bruce is right, but he doesn't actually appreciate being treated like a child. However, before he can argue further, Alfred steps closer to him while fiddling with his IV. "I believe, young sir, it's time for more pain medication and rest. When Master Richard returns from school, I'll send him down to speak with you. After three long days, I believe the young master has much he wishes to say."

Tim nearly curses at the revelation that he's been unconscious for three days. He suddenly can't wait for Dick to return home. He needs to ask him if Jason has yet to contact them and if the team has been informed of his injury. Tim doesn't look forward to trying to convince Black Canary that this incident isn't verification of her earlier reservations about him patrolling Gotham by himself.

Not to mention, everything that he's been working on has basically been put on hold for the next week or so. Tim has no idea what he intends to do if Jason does contact them in that time. After all, he really only has two options. He either has to leave Dick in charge of the entire thing or convince Jason to wait until Tim's healed enough to meet with him, without actually telling Jason why he can't meet with him. Honestly, Tim doesn't think either option is appealing, but he supposes that it'll have to wait until later.

Tim yawns as his eyelids begin to droop. He wonders if Alfred gave him more than just pain medication through his IV, but he's certain that, even if he asked, Alfred wouldn't admit to anything. He struggles to stay awake and focus on trying to find solutions to all of the problems his current condition is inevitably going to create, but his thoughts keep drifting off as his eyes flutter close. Tim sinks further into the pillow under his head and drifts off, knowing that his struggle is futile.

XYZXYZ

He startles awake an unidentifiable amount of time later when he feels something small and warm wrap around his hand. It takes Tim a second to remember where he is, and then another moment to realize that the thing touching him is a much smaller hand. He glances down to see Dick clinging to him with downcast eyes. He squeezes Dick's hand and tries for a reassuring smile. It feels a little off, but Tim's sure that he can blame it on the drugs. "Are you alright?"

Dick stares at him with wide eyes, and Tim almost wants to laugh, but he knows how much pain that would cause him. "Are you kidding? You're the one who got hurt. I'm…I'm sorry. I should have waited, and I shouldn't be so impulsive, and…"

Tim tugs Dick's hand until he moves closer. He can't lean up to give Dick a hug, but he can tighten his hold on Dick's hand. He just hopes that the comfort translates as well. After all, Tim's not the best at this, even when he's not wounded. "Dick, it's okay. It's an occupational hazard."

Dick's brow furrows as he shakes his head. "I don't think stabbings should be written off as easily as broken windows."

Tim shrugs as Dick pulls his chair closer to the bed. It's hardly the first time that he's ever been stabbed, but Tim has a feeling that telling Dick that wouldn't actually work in his favor. "It happens, and I think we both know that this incident will stick with you, and remind you to think before you jump into the middle of two opposing gangs again, right?"

Dick nods enthusiastically, which makes Tim feel a small amount of relief. This might actually work in Tim's favor when he finally starts working on Dick's impulse control. "Definitely!"

Tim grins as he watches Dick shift around to get more comfortable. He's thinking that he might start with just forcing Dick to sit still for a while. "Good, now back to business. Has our mutual friend contacted you?"

Dick shakes his head, and Tim's relieved that he catches on so quickly. They can't speak freely in the cave, but Tim can't put off his questions, given that he's going to be on bed rest for so long. "No, I've stopped by to check on him and reassure him that we meant what we said, but he still hasn't decided. I think he's afraid that the offer is too good to be true, you know?"

Tim nods his head in agreement. He knows all too well how Jason Todd thinks, and he knows that's exactly what Jason is afraid of, but there's nothing that the two of them can do about that. This is something that will just take time. "Yeah, but we can't push him. We've made the offer. Now we need to give him time to consider it. You know better than anyone what he's going through right now, so keep visiting him, but don't mention the offer unless he brings it up first."

Dick grins brightly as he nods his head. Tim's not surprised that Dick's extremely pleased that he practically just ordered him to visit Jason regularly. There's a part of Tim that doesn't want Dick to get too attached to Jason. After all, Jason deserves a life away from all of this. However, there's another part of him that knows it's good for both of them. Tim figures that once he gets everything finalized for Jason, having Dick as a friend will only ease the process further, so he doesn't see any reason to discourage their friendship. "Sure, no problem, and don't worry I've been using your program, so you know…" Dick trails off with a wave of his hand.

Tim can't keep the small sigh of relief to himself. He knew that this Dick was a great hacker, and he couldn't be happier that Dick happens to be using that particular skill to keep this entire thing secret. "Does the team know about this?" Tim gestures widely to himself.

Dick sighs heavily as he slumps further in his chair. "Yeah, they know. Black Canary was with Batman when I called for help. He told her that you were injured and left immediately. When he saw how bad it was, he brought you straight to the cave, given that it was closer than any Zeta-Beam entry point. Once you were stable, Batman had Black Canary inform the team of your injury and that you would be staying in Gotham until further notice. The team isn't happy about it. They wanted you to be moved to the infirmary at the HQ, but that wasn't really an option. The team is extremely worried about you and they want to see you. Batman told them that you would return when you were able. Needless to say, you can probably expect a lot of excitement and to be fussed over when you return."

Tim groans at the very idea of it all. He's already endured the entire team hovering over him with concern, and that was just when he was physically and emotionally exhausted. He doesn't even want to consider what it's going to be like now that he's actually wounded. Tim's honestly considering waiting until he's fully recovered before returning to the HQ, but he knows that he can't put his plans on hold for that long. "Has Black Canary and Batman fought over my ability to patrol alone yet?"

Dick nods his head again as he sits forward in his chair, forearms resting on his knees. "When Bruce told her about the extent of your injury, Black Canary argued that you shouldn't have been out alone. I told her that you weren't alone, but she wasn't happy that it was just the two of us. I argued that this wasn't your fault and that this didn't reflect back on you. I mean, I'm the one who screwed up. Black Canary didn't really seem to care, but Bruce told her that you had more than proven yourself. He sent her the feed from my mask cam. Bruce pointed out that I had barely even landed before you were already covering me, which means that you calculated my trajectory as soon as I leapt off of the roof and followed, ready to protect me. He was obviously impressed. Black Canary was too, just so you know."

Tim sighs. He's not exactly surprised by anything Dick has told him, but he knows that after this nearly everyone is going to keep a closer eye on him, which is something that he doesn't exactly need or want. After all, most of his plans hinge on the fact that, more often than not, he's left to his own devices. Tim's actually grateful that Dick is in on most of what he's planning. After all, working around literally everyone with no ally would be downright impossible. As it stands, it's only slightly impossible, but that's hardly anything new for Tim. After all, this is what he does.

"I'll deal with Black Canary's concerns when I return. As of right now, we have other things to focus on. How has Superboy been lately? Has he had any other meetings with Superman?"

Dick shrugs as he breathes out a breath. "I don't know. The team hasn't noticed any differences in training, but we're blaming that more on your absence than anything else. Superman's taking his calls now, but I don't think Superboy has bothered to contact him. Superboy did mention wanting to speak with you about his training once you return, but he wouldn't go into details."

Tim scoffs. They both know that this particular Superboy hardly opens up to anyone about anything. "He never does. Hopefully, you can convince Superboy to spend more time with Superman before I return. I really do think that it'll help him improve and his training will go smoother after Superboy confronts one of the main sources of his ire. I don't think Superboy even realizes how much his rage is prohibiting him from progressing, but it's something that needs to be addressed before I can advance his training any further."

Dick rubs the back of his head self-consciously. "I'll…uh…try, but it's a bit of a touchy subject, and, other than when he's ranting about Supes, Superboy doesn't really like talking about it with anyone besides you and possibly M'gann."

Tim hums in understanding. He's not exactly certain how much progress can be made in a week or two, but something is better than nothing. "Has anyone spoken to Red Arrow? I was planning on having him help me with the next stage of Superboy's training, and I would hate for him to think that I revoked my offer just because I'm unable to contact him."

Dick nods, suddenly looking a lot more comfortable than before. "Yeah, I spoke to him the day after you were stabbed. He wanted to come see you immediately, but…well, you know, you were unconscious, secret identities, and…"

Tim reaches out for Dick's hand again, and he smiles when Dick doesn't even hesitate before taking it. He squeezes Dick's hand and resists the urge to sit up once more. "It's okay. As long as he wasn't left out of the loop, Roy will understand. Besides, we can probably…"

Tim doesn't get a chance to finish before he's hissing in pain from Dick tugging on his arm sharply. "Wait, you know who Red Arrow is?"

Tim blinks owlishly for a long moment. He thought that by now it was fairly obvious that Tim knows pretty much everyone's secret identities, but then it occurs to him that Dick hasn't exactly been privy to Tim's and Roy's late night chats, nor the fact that Tim is the reason Black Canary has started paying so much attention to Red Arrow. At least, Tim is hoping that Dick's reaction is in relation to the fact that Tim knows so much and not Dick's own lack of knowledge. He can't imagine that Dick doesn't know who Red Arrow is. After all, Robin almost always knows more than his peers, especially when it comes to who's wearing which mask. Not to mention, the implications of exactly how alone Roy is if Dick isn't one of his best friends here, has Tim's stomach churning.

"Yeah, I…um…know a lot of secret IDs. Figuring out who's under the mask is kind of a hobby of mine." Dick doesn't need to know that it's a hobby that Tim has had since he was a very small child. "Please, tell me that's the reason for your shock and not the fact that I've just accidentally revealed who Red Arrow is."

Dick's eyes narrow in confusion for a moment before he holds his hands up in a mollifying gesture. "What? Oh, no, no, I know who Red Arrow is. I'm just astounded that you do, too. He can be a bit standoffish, but then I guess that he's probably different in your world, right?"

Tim rolls his eyes at the blatant probing for more information, but he did actually tell Dick that he would answer whatever questions the kid has about Tim's home-world, and honestly, there are far more sensitive subjects that they could be discussing right now. "Well, for starters, the Roy on my world is older. He's best friends with Dick, but he's got a bit of a soft spot for kids, who have an ability to stand up to their mentors. He's a really great guy, though."

Dick scoffs as he folds his arms over his chest, unexpectedly sullen and displeased. "Great like the Dick Grayson of your world?"

Tim huffs out a breath. He didn't mean to turn this version of Dick against his brother back home, but…well, in the midst of trying to keep things vague, Tim may have left out more than he should have. He's not entirely certain what he could possibly say that would change things, but Tim knows enough to know that misunderstandings like this never end well for anyone. "There's nothing wrong with the Dick Grayson of my world. He's a good guy and a great brother. I told you that mistakes were made on both sides, and I meant that. He has a lot of responsibilities and sometimes things get disregarded in favor of more pressing matters. It's why I'm relieved that he has so many friends to help him through it all."

Dick's brow furrows as he seizes Tim's hand again. "People are not things and no one should be ignored in favor of another…no matter the situation. You deserve better."

This time Tim does laugh, despite the fact that his laughter cuts off into a fit of choking, gasping coughs, and he ends up clutching at his own chest as immense pain courses through him. Dick gets to his feet, ready to dash upstairs, and find help, but Tim merely waves him off. He doesn't need help. He just needs for this Dick to understand the simple truth that, while Tim wishes that his brother had gone about it all in a different way, the only one to blame for Tim's inability to deal is himself.

After a few short moments, Tim catches his breath and settles back down, gesturing for Dick to do the same. "I appreciate that you feel that way, but, the fact of the matter is, you don't know me well enough to know what I deserve."

He intends to just end the conversation there, but for some reason, Tim can't hold back all of his thoughts anymore. He's sure that when this is all over, he'll blame whatever Alfred gave him earlier. "I was always just a placeholder. I knew that from the beginning. I've always known that my place in the family was tenuous and that it only existed because I had nowhere else to go. I was just one more kid with nothing left. I knew that eventually I would no longer be needed, just as I knew that it would all inevitably end the way that everything always does. It's not Dick's fault that I outgrew my place and someone better came along. Dick was great. He cared about me for far longer than anyone else ever has bothered to try. He convinced me that I was worthwhile, because, for a time, he believed that I was, but I knew it couldn't last. It's not Dick's fault that I'm…me. It had to end eventually. It's my fault for not preparing for it better…for not being ready. It's my fault for becoming so complacent, for wanting what Dick gave so freely, that I missed the obvious signs that it was all going to be taken away, like every time before."

Dick glares at him, heartbroken and aching, and looks as if he wants nothing more than to gather Tim into a hug. It's a familiar expression that Tim's accustomed to seeing on a much older face. "You're not going back! I won't let you! I don't care if Bruce finds a way to return you to your world. You're not going. How could they let you think like that? Worse, how could they make you think like that? They don't deserve you, so they can't have you!"

Tim hushes him as he gestures for Dick to come closer. He wraps his arms around the kid and stifles the groan of pain that wants to escape as he gathers him into a hug. "You know that that's not how it works. I have responsibilities back home. You'd return, too, if our roles were reversed. It's not their fault, you know. I've always been this way. They didn't do anything."

Dick clings to him as he sobs, and it nearly breaks Tim's heart. He never meant to cause this Dick Grayson pain. "That's the point! They didn't do anything. They didn't stop you from feeling this way, and worse, they encouraged it."

Tim shushes him as he holds on tighter; despite how much agony it causes him. His chest is burning, and Tim knows for a fact that his one-week timescale just got pushed back, but it's worth it. "They can't stop what they don't know. I do what's necessary. I become whatever is necessary. I always have. That isn't on anyone else, but me, okay? You shouldn't blame them for the way that I am, you know? None of them are actually responsible for that…not even Dick."

Dick shakes his head as he buries his face further into Tim's chest. He nearly coughs as the motion causes another spike of pain, but instead, Tim just breathes through it. "You'll never convince me that they're that oblivious. They've hurt you, worse than a stab wound ever could, and I don't want you to go back there."

Tim shakes his head and refrains from reminding Dick that it's not exactly up to him. "I've never abandoned anything before, Dick, and I'm not about to start now."

Dick tightens the embrace, making Tim wince. "Then don't abandon us. We need you and we want you here, Red. You've helped all of us so much, but, even if you weren't helping us, we'd still want you."

Tim doesn't know how to respond to that. There was a time when he believed the very same thing of his own Dick Grayson, but it's been a long time since Tim has been that naïve. "I know, but I still have friends back home, you know. I have my own team, who is probably missing me." Tim conveniently doesn't mention that he hasn't actually been an active member of any team for a while, nor does he mention that, even before he landed here, he hadn't actually spoken to any of his friends in some time.

"Then let them work to get you back." Dick insists defiantly. "Stop looking for a way to return and just…just be here with us. If they want you back, then they can come and get you."

Tim shakes his head and stares at Dick with a minuscule, sad smile. Dick's tenacity, admiration, and sweetness warms and breaks Tim's heart all at the same time. "Honestly, Dick, I have no way of knowing if they even know that I'm gone or what happened to me. It wouldn't be fair to them if I just disappeared like that, and you know it. We…or, at least I have to keep working on trying to return home. It's the right thing to do."

Dick abruptly releases him from the hug and shoves away from him. Tim knows that the sudden release of pressure on his chest should allow him to breathe easier, but it doesn't. He feels like all of the air has rushed out of him now that Dick is no longer within arm's reach and he can't get it back. "Yeah, it's the right thing for whom? 'Cause, it certainly isn't the right thing for you, and it's definitely no better for us." There are tears in Dick's eyes, but Tim doesn't get a chance to even try to fix this before Dick abruptly spins around and dashes out of the cave.

Tim tries to call out to Dick, but he can't catch his breath enough to even attempt words. He does his best not to cough, knowing that beyond causing an immense amount of pain, it can and will cause more damage. Tim tries to work through the sharp chest pains and focus on something beyond all of the ways that he just continues to fail everyone around him. Tim knows that he's put his body through too much stress with the conversation with Dick, and now he's paying for it. He just hopes that if this does result in further damage, then Dick won't blame himself for all of this. After all, Tim knows that this is entirely his own fault and that there's only one person to blame for all of his current failings.

The End (for now)


	18. Chapter 18

The distinct sound of hushed voices registers only a moment before the realization that this room is far brighter than the one that he remembers passing out in. Tim doesn't understand what that implies at first, but then he recognizes the feeling of soft sheets, the pliant mattress, and plush pillows underneath him. He has no idea why they bothered to move him out of the cave and upstairs, but Tim has certainly awoken in worse places.

He keeps his eyes closed, to avoid straining them with the light, and tries to focus on the murmured voices. Tim can discern Dick's voice almost immediately, but he's nearly caught off guard by the realization that Roy is with him. Tim lies still and keeps his breathing even as he listens. "Look, Dick, this isn't your fault, and Red wouldn't want you to blame yourself."

"No, you don't understand." Tim can hear Dick pacing, but it takes him a moment to realize that the reason his gait sounds so odd is due to the fact that Dick is walking around on his hands instead of his feet. Tim would smile if he couldn't practically feel the tension in the air. "This is definitely my fault. I'm the reason that he got stabbed in the first place, and now I've exasperated his condition. He should hate me. I know I do."

Tim's relieved that he's propped up on so many pillows. The idea of having to force himself into a sitting position makes his chest burn. He blinks his eyes open, and then instantaneously groans at the sunlight streaming through the large window. "I don't hate you and you shouldn't either." Speaking is a bit more arduous than Tim anticipated, but it's also a necessary evil if Dick is going to insist on brooding like this.

They both rush over to his bedside, and Tim is extremely grateful that Roy stops Dick from leaping on top of him. Though, Tim does have to admit that he is genuinely stunned when both of them grab a hold of his hand. "How are you feeling?" Dick's clutching onto him as if he's some kind of lifeline.

"Do you need anything?" The two of them are speaking over each other and Roy's voice is dripping with a desperation that Tim, quite frankly, doesn't understand. His condition shouldn't have scared them this much. After all, it's an occupational hazard.

Tim works himself up to respond while he simultaneously attempts to process their fussing. He's starting to wonder if he wants to ask how long he's been unconscious or how far his recovery has been pushed back. However, with the expression on both of their faces, he figures that there are more pressing matters to deal with first.

After all, Tim's certain that he can ask Alfred all of those questions later. Besides, it's not as though the answers will change anything. He knows that he's going to be stuck on bed rest for some time, and then monitored for the duration of his recovery as he slowly works up to his normal amount of activity again… no matter how inconvenient it will be.

"I'm okay for right now." Tim refrains from taking a deep breath, knowing exactly how much pain that will cause him. "Not that I'm ungrateful for the concern, but what is Red Arrow doing here?"

Roy rolls his eyes as he pulls a chair over to sit down. "You can drop the codename. I already know that you know my name, and I think we've grown close enough that you can use it, and maybe give me yours." He gives Tim a hopeful look, which Tim pointedly ignores. Roy doesn't push it, but Tim honestly wonders how long he can get away with keeping that particular secret. "Anyway," Roy starts again before Tim can say anything on the matter. "I just wanted to check on you and Dick, so I did what any reasonable vigilante would do and put my skills to work."

"By which, he means he tried to sneak past our security and I had to talk Bruce into letting him stay." Dick grins mischievously and gently nudges Tim. He knows that it most likely means that Bruce had every intention of letting Roy stay either way, but that only baffles Tim more. Everything that he's learned about this Bruce has left him with so many questions about his own in regards to when Dick was younger. However, most of them are questions that he's not entirely certain that the answers are necessarily something that he wants.

"Well, I'm glad that you're here, Roy." It feels weird to say the name out loud after so long, but Tim does have to admit it gives him a sense of normalcy after everything that has happened. "I was hoping we could discuss Superboy's training some more. I don't want the team suffering just because I'm grounded, and I really need someone to encourage Superman to actively help out a bit more."

Roy shakes his head. "I've got that handled. Black Canary and I are working with the whole team, so you don't need to worry about it. Superman has been making real strides toward helping Superboy, and the entire team has been training even harder since your injury. They'll all be just fine until you get back on your feet, so the only thing that you should be doing is resting and healing."

Tim wants to argue that he's not exactly adept at simply resting. After all, there's still plenty that needs to be done, but he already knows no one in this room is going to listen. He glances over at Dick, who has been suspiciously quiet for the last couple of minutes, and notices that the boy seems abruptly rather sheepish. Tim narrows his eyes as he stares the boy down. He has a feeling that he's not going to like whatever Dick has been reluctant to share. "What's up, Dick?"

Dick immediately begins nervously rubbing the back of his head as he shifts from one foot to the other and back again. "So… um… I… uh… I wanted to tell you something. I kinda enlisted Roy's help with our other project."

Tim doesn't know how to react at first. There's a moment when he just freezes while desperately trying to figure out why Dick would enlist anyone's help with Jason, especially after Tim explicitly told him not to involve anyone else. "Why?" It's the only thing that Tim can force out past the mounting rage and dread, even though there are about a thousand other things that he wants to say. However, Tim is well aware that what he's thinking is rather unhelpful at the moment.

Roy tightens his hold on Tim even more as he all but shoves Dick to the side. "It wasn't his fault. I wanted to know the full details about what had happened to you, so I tracked Dick down last night while he was in the middle of addressing your little side project. It wasn't easy, I might add, but… well, I know Dick pretty well. Anyway, after he left, I sorta insisted that he fill me in. I don't know all of the details, but I'm willing to help."

Dick stares at him wide-eyed and pleading. It's an expression Tim usually only sees his own brother utilize when he's trying to steal Tim's food. It's a little jarring to see it now. "Don't be mad at, Roy. It's my fault. I should have been more careful."

Tim breathes a heavy sigh and suppresses the wince from the action. Dick's right, of course, he should have been more careful. After all, they're both rather lucky that it was Roy who caught Dick while he was meeting with Jason, especially considering all of the other possibilities. Tim has a feeling that none of Dick's actual team members would simply just go along with his plan, even if Tim has done nothing but help all of them since he arrived here. Not to mention, the last thing that they need is Batman's attention.

Still, Tim is rather grateful that Roy is willing to help them. After all, he may just be the perfect person for the task. "I'm… I'm not mad. I was just concerned, given the circumstances. However, I think Roy's assistance will be instrumental in our ability to move forward. After all, I think having a way to get information to and from the source without either of us being involved may be the best way to operate for the time being, especially given the current circumstances." Tim gestures widely at himself, before continuing. "That is, of course, if you're willing, Roy."

Roy simply shrugs. "I already said that I was, didn't I?"

Tim smiles a genuine grin for the first time in what feels like forever. Finally, something seems to be going his way. "Okay, so if you can make visits to our mutual friend in my place, it'll give him even more support and take some of the responsibility off of Dick's shoulders. Remember staying off the grid is our top priority here, so if you two can get me some hardware I can make us a few communication devices that aren't connected to certain sources."

Roy stares at him for a long moment before shaking his head. "That sounds suspiciously like work, and I really don't think that any kind of work is good for you right now. I believe multiple people have emphasized how much you need to rest. I may not know you exceedingly well yet, but everything I do know has led me to believe that actually resting is not your specialty."

Tim restrains himself from rolling his eyes. "I assure you, giving me something to do that is constructive is in everyone's best interest if you actually want me to take it easy."

Dick and Roy glance at each other before Dick shrugs. "He was raised by a Bruce. Maybe it is for the best."

Roy rolls his eyes before nodding. "Fine, fine, I've seen enough to know that he'll probably just sneak out and injure himself worse, given that he doesn't exactly take actual breaks back at HQ."

Tim wants to argue. He really does, but he also knows that he doesn't exactly have any supporting evidence that won't work against him here. "No reason to risk it, honestly."

They both just kind of stare blankly at him before shaking their heads and Roy raises an eyebrow at him. "Shouldn't you at least pretend to disagree with us?"

Tim shrugs. "Would either of you believe me?"

Neither of them hesitates before answering. "Absolutely not."

They break into laughter before Roy declares that now that Tim is awake they're going to have a movie marathon. Tim doesn't even get a chance to object before the other two are rushing around getting everything into place and settling themselves down beside him with pillows practically suffocating him on all sides to keep him from jostling his injured chest. It's warm… nearly too warm, but Tim finds that he doesn't actually mind for once.

The break from literally everything - no matter how forced - is actually rather relieving. Tim feels as if he's been going nearly nonstop since long before he landed in this world. He's almost forgotten what it's like to just sit still and be with the people around him without a thousand plans running through his head or a fight brewing just below the surface.

He breathes calmly without having to force himself to merely appear that way for what feels like the first time in ages. It takes Tim a moment to realize that it's not just the forced relaxation that has him leaning just a little heavier into the pillows with a small grin on his face, but the fact that for the first time in so long Tim isn't braced for an attack, another fight, or just desperately trying to fix something that truly has nothing to do with him.

He doesn't know how to feel about the fact that he hasn't felt like this since some time before he became Red Robin. Tim wonders if once he returns home if he'll ever be this relaxed again... that is if he manages to return home. He knows that it's probably unfair to assume that, even if he does make it home, he most likely won't ever capture this feeling again, especially given that it's his fault that he can't be more relaxed back home.

After all, Dick has made great strides with Damian. Tim is utterly certain that their relationship has only strengthened since Tim's disappearance. Not to mention, Tim is well aware that his friends would gladly drag him into a movie night and rant fest if he would just let them, but… well, things like this just always seem out of reach at home.

After all, there's always something to be done. There's always some mission that specifically Tim can do. It's true that, while it may not be a task that only Tim can do, it's usually some undertaking that Tim is more than capable of accomplishing, especially when no one else will do it.

Tim thinks that perhaps he should focus on other less distressing things, especially since the other two are chuckling about something that Tim has completely missed. However, he's honestly too exhausted to force himself to participate right now. Besides, he's certain that the other two haven't even noticed his waning interest.

Still, he's starting to think that perhaps his lack of contribution may be allowed or even anticipated by now. Especially since his lack of enthusiasm doesn't seem to be dampening the other two's enjoyment one bit. Tim's relieved that for once he seems to be able to keep his less than pleasant machinations from disturbing the people around him. It feels as though he's finally managed to do something right, even if Tim knows that he's taking a victory where he doesn't necessarily deserve one.

Abruptly, Tim's thoughts derail when there's a gentle knock on the door. He turns as much as the mountain of pillows around him will allow and spots Bruce slowly pushing the door open while simultaneously carrying a tray laden with various cups and bowls. He honestly was expecting Alfred, given the tenderness of the interruption. It takes every ounce of Tim's training to suppress his bewilderment.

He contemplates what it says about him - or perhaps, what it says about his current situation back home - that Tim's immediate reaction to seeing Bruce is to ponder what he did wrong. He doesn't think that he could have possibly done anything to draw Bruce's attention, and Tim certainly doesn't believe that he could have done something to make Alfred feel as though he needed Bruce's attention, so he has no idea why the man is here.

However, since neither Dick nor Roy seem even mildly surprised to see the man; Tim assumes that he's probably the only one acting peculiar. He supposes Bruce's presence is completely commonplace for everyone else, or, at least, it seems that way. "Good, you're awake." Bruce sounds genuinely happy, which normally would have Tim raising an eyebrow, but it doesn't take a genius to figure out that Tim's normal reactions don't always make sense or even apply in this world. "I brought your medication."

Tim merely nods as Bruce sets the tray down on a nearby desk. At least, he now knows that he wasn't unconscious, nor anticipated to be unconscious, for an unreasonable amount of time. At least, that doesn't seem to be the case if they expect Tim to actually swallow pills.

Bruce hands him a cup with a few very familiar-looking pills in it. Tim stares at it for a long moment before ingesting the medicine. He wonders if Bruce has caught on to the one thing even the team and Black Canary don't know that he's been doing at the HQ for the past two months.

"I presume I don't need to tell you how important it is for you to take all of them, given your lack of a spleen." Bruce gives Tim a very pointed stare as if he expects Tim to argue. He knows that he hasn't exactly made the best impression with this Bruce, but Tim would think by now Bruce is aware that he's not a complete idiot.

Tim nods as Bruce hands him a glass of water. Roy shuts off the movie before Dick turns to him with a wide-eyed expression. "Wait, you don't have a spleen?"

Tim shakes his head, but before he can respond Roy jumps in with another question. "Aren't spleens kind of important?"

Tim shrugs the best that he can without jostling everything. "It's not like I can't live without it, obviously."

"True, but you need to take low-dose antibiotics regularly." Again Bruce is giving him that pointed glare, and Tim suddenly finds himself wanting to insist that he's not a moron.

"I know and I was."

Before Tim can say another word, Bruce takes the now empty glass from him and places a warm bowl of soup in his hands, and gestures for him to eat. "I'm aware. Just know that there's no need to take them from the HQ infirmary, hack the system, and change the automatic refill order, even if it is impressive. I'll get you anything you need. There's no need for all of this secrecy."

Tim wants to laugh, but he knows that none of them would respond well to it, and that includes his own injuries. Still, a Batman - any Batman – claiming that there is no need for secrecy is hilarious. However, before Tim gets a chance to respond Dick and Roy both have a hold on his hands and are shaking him slightly… not enough to hurt, but enough to be noticed. "You were doing what?" Dick's voice sounds absolutely exasperated.

Roy shakes his head. "And I thought I was paranoid. You have friends here, dude. Let us help you."

Tim doesn't think mentioning that he has friends at home who are likely to say the same thing and get the same results would really help his cause right now, even if it is true. Still, their concern is nearly overwhelming, especially Bruce. "Technically, you were getting the antibiotics for me. It was just the most efficient and direct way."

Dick raises an eyebrow at him, skeptically. "Let me get this straight, you think that sneaking into the infirmary, hacking into the system, and keeping the fact that you don't have a spleen to yourself was the most efficient way? Really?"

"Bruce would have just told me to take what I needed from the infirmary, and then changed the amount he was ordering anyway. I just cut out the middle man." Tim honestly doesn't understand what is so complicated about all of this.

Bruce stares at him for a long moment. "What would your Bruce say if he discovered you did this back home?"

Tim furrows his brow in confusion. He's not certain why he's being asked this question or why it's even relevant. "He probably wouldn't say anything, and, if for some reason he did, he would suggest ways I could hack the system faster or compliment how efficiently I did it."

Bruce hums to himself but doesn't say anything more on the subject before assuring both Roy and Dick that there are plenty of snacks on the tray that he brought up with him for both of them. They both scramble over to the tray as Bruce grabs a chair, and then places it beside the bed. "What are we watching?"

Tim doesn't know how to respond. He didn't expect Bruce to stay. He squirms a little, trying to make it look as though he's just trying to get comfortable when Dick decides to answer for him through a mouthful of food. "Whatever you or… um… Red wants, I suppose."

Bruce stares at him with an unreadable expression – one that Tim honestly doesn't recognize and has absolutely no hope of deciphering. "It's your choice, Red."

Tim has a feeling that the man is talking about more than just the movie. Although, he has no idea what Bruce could possibly mean, so instead he merely shrugs and gestures for someone else to pick. "It doesn't matter to me."

Bruce places a hand on his shoulder and squeezes gently. "Relax."

Tim isn't exactly certain why he feels compelled to actually listen, but he forces his shoulders to loosen up, takes a calming breath, and then sinks a little deeper into the pillows behind him. It doesn't escape his notice that Bruce never actually takes his hand off of Tim's shoulder until Dick passes Bruce a steaming cup. Dick flops onto the bed beside Tim and focuses on the movie Roy picked for them, while Tim desperately tries to ignore the lingering warmth on his shoulder.

XYZXYZ

Over the course of the next week, Roy and Dick visit often and are able to smuggle Tim enough hardware for him to build the communication devices. He honestly expects Bruce or Alfred to catch them at some point, especially with how often they both like to check on him. It's not exactly something that Tim is used to, but he guesses this universe doesn't keep people as busy as his own.

Still, this Alfred and Bruce don't have nearly as much experience with Robins refusing to simply sit in bed and do nothing as his own do. However, it feels a little too easy to simply work with the pieces that he's been given, stow them away when he knows someone is coming, and rest just enough that Alfred doesn't get suspicious about how his healing is progressing. Besides, even if he thinks it might be a little too effortless, Tim is eternally grateful that for once things seem to be working in his favor.

He's also extremely relieved that he was able to convince Roy and Dick to help keep him busy. The mere idea of spending a week in bed doing nothing with minimal time walking around has his skin crawling. Not to mention, knowing that his recovery is going to take a full six to eight weeks has him feeling rather antsy. Tim sighs heavily at the very thought of it as he stashes the finished devices and then lies back once more.

He breathes out a breath of relief that he did when moments later Alfred knocks on the door. "I must say, young sir, you have far greater patience than Master Bruce and Master Dick. I honestly expected to find you trying to sneak out of your room at least once during this week."

Tim merely shrugs and does his best to mask the wince it causes him. "What can I say; I enjoy your company, Alfred. Not to mention, Dick, Roy, and Bruce have all been doing their best to keep me distracted."

Alfred smiles gently at him. "Be that as it may, young sir, I can assure you that such trivial diversions would not be enough to keep Master Bruce and Master Dick from at least one desperate foray into the cave."

Tim nods his head and doesn't mention anything about the fact that, if he thought he could get away with it, that's exactly where he'd be right now. "I know exactly what you mean. My own Alfred has come up with some rather creative ways to keep us in bed."

"Perhaps, young sir, you can divulge some of his more visionary ploys over our chess game, but first you need to take these." Alfred hands him his medicine and gives Tim a rather pointed stare. He doesn't understand why after a week they're still all treating him as though he has to be watched while taking his medicine, but Tim knows better than to argue with any Alfred.

Tim takes the medicine and doesn't even make a show of it, despite how much he may want to. "I don't know if I feel comfortable sharing information that could potentially be used against me." Tim means it as a joke, but… well; he knows he has a propensity of getting into trouble.

Alfred coughs indignantly as he raises a single eyebrow. "I certainly hope you aren't implying that such grievous injuries are going to be a common occurrence while you are here, young sir."

Tim merely shrugs and is immediately reminded why such movements are problematic right now. "You know how it is, Alfred."

Alfred furrows his brow and looks as though there's something he desperately wants to say, but instead he shakes his head and begins helping Tim out of bed. "I believe it would be best to do your exercises now, young sir."

Alfred helps him out of bed, and Tim does a few stretches that won't injure him further. Alfred then assists him with walking around the room before leading him down the hall to where their chess game is already set up and waiting. Tim doesn't feel nearly as winded as the first time that they did this, but he's truly not looking forward to his slow recovery. Once Alfred has him settled down in a well-cushioned chair, he takes his own seat, and they begin the game in a tranquil silence.

The quiet doesn't last long, however, before Alfred clears his throat. "If I may, young sir?" Tim gestures for Alfred to continue. "I'm aware that you told Master Bruce that you are 17."

Tim nods, although he honestly has no idea where Alfred is going with this. "It's true. I am."

Alfred moves one of his pieces and gestures for Tim to take his turn. "I've been thinking, young sir; perhaps we should enroll you in school with Master Dick, once you're healthy, of course."

Tim nearly chokes on air at the mention of school. It's been so long since he's even considered school as more than a distant memory. He quickly makes him move, hoping to divert Alfred's attention slightly. "Oh, um, I'm not in school anymore."

Alfred looks pleasantly surprised. "You graduated already? I must say that is most impressive."

Tim coughs and rubs the back of his head sheepishly as he glances away from Alfred's proud expression. He knows that he doesn't deserve it. Tim never did actually have a conversation with his own Alfred about dropping out, but he's always been rather grateful that he never had to see the disappointment on the man's face.

Tim sighs heavily. It doesn't matter that this is a different Alfred entirely. He knows this conversation is going to break both of their hearts. "I…um… I didn't graduate, actually. My senior year didn't exactly go as planned. There was an important mission that required my full attention, so I dropped out."

Alfred drops the piece he was about to move and just stares at Tim horrified for a moment. "How could your Master Bruce or my counterpart allow the mission to take precedence over your schooling? What were they thinking?"

Tim clears his throat and does his best not to make eye contact with Alfred. "Well, Bruce was missing and I left to go find him, and then sometime later I became an emancipated minor, so there wasn't much either one of them could do at that point."

Alfred looks as if he truly wants to argue, but he simply resumes moving his bishop. "I assume you have your GED, then."

Tim shakes his head and resists the urge to sink further into his seat. He never thought disappointing another Alfred would hurt this much, but if Tim has learned anything from his time here, it's that it doesn't matter who he's displeasing, it's always just as agonizing. "There really wasn't the time or a need. When I returned a new CEO was needed and… long story short, I was available."

"And Lucius agreed with this?"

Tim shrugs and ignores the pain that it causes him. After all, it's nothing in comparison to this entire conversation. "Um…well, it was his idea. I mean, it was kind of time-sensitive."

Alfred hums a noncommittal tone. "I take it from your general attitude that you have no intention of either returning to school or getting your GED when you return home, then?"

Tim glances away once more. He's fairly certain that he's not imagining the disapproving tone. "Honestly, assuming I can find a way back home, I'm not sure there's really a point to wasting my time. I'm fully capable of accomplishing everything I need to without it."

Alfred raises an eyebrow at him. "And what of the desires that you wish to achieve beyond what you need to accomplish?"

Tim doesn't know if he necessarily has an answer to that. It's been so long since he's even considered his own desires beyond what's necessary that he's not entirely certain that he even knows what he wants. He knows that he should focus on returning home. He knows that it's not fair to simply abandon everyone and everything, but Tim doesn't know if that's what he necessarily wishes.

"I'm sure I can accomplish most things without it." Tim knows that Alfred understands what it means for him to be this evasive, but he hopes Alfred will simply let it go. After all, how can Alfred be certain pursuing this line of questioning will be advantageous when Tim doesn't even know if he has a response beyond vague retorts?

Tim isn't sure if he's relieved that Alfred does leave it there, because the rest of their game is finished in quite tense silence. When Tim returns to the room he's staying in, he doesn't need to feign exhaustion as Alfred slowly lowers him down on fresh sheets. A part of him wants to apologize, although he doesn't know why. After all, this isn't the Alfred that he needs to be apologizing to.

Still, Tim can't help it. As he slumps further into the pillows propping him up, Tim mutters out the only thing that he can think at this moment. "I'm sorry for not being more."

His eyes are heavy, but he sees the way Alfred clutches the covers he's trying to pull over Tim. There's the sound of hitched breathing, but whether that's Alfred's or Tim's own breathing from jostling his chest, Tim will never know. He's asleep before Alfred can say another word.

The End (for now)


End file.
